The Cubs have officially activated new reliever Shawn Armstrong, who was claimed on waivers from the Cardinals. In a corresponding move, Daniel Palencia has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
Armstrong, 33, has intermittently been a very good reliever in the big leagues for a wide range of teams over the last decade. Most recently, he’d been pitching very well for the Cardinals, and the Cubs will hope he doesn’t lose a beat in helping them cover important innings down the stretch.
Palencia, 24, unfortunately looked about how he’s looked in every other time up with the big league team: tantalizing stuff, very little control, virtually no command. The future may very well still be bright – some guys just take longer to stabilize against the highest level bats.
Keep in mind, active rosters expand tomorrow from 26 to 28 players, so the Cubs will be adding an extra pitcher and an extra position player. That seems likely to be Jordan Wicks on the pitching side, as he is currently with the team and a possibility to start tomorrow. Then again, I suppose it’s possible it’ll just be an additional reliever for now, depending on the plan for Wicks.