Seiyz Suzuki returns, Dylan Carlson departs, and a key reliever heads to the IL. See all the Chicago Cubs' crucial roster shake-ups.
The Chicago Cubs were busy ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
They made a flurry of roster moves early on Friday morning, which included welcoming back a slugger, designating an outfielder for assignment, and sending a key bullpen arm to the 15-day injured list.
Here are all those roster moves in one place.
Seiya Suzuki Returns
Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki will finally make his season debut after starting the season on the 10-day injured list due to a knee injury. Suzuki appeared in five rehab assignment games with Double-A Knoxville, where he went 6-for-14 with two doubles, one RBI, and two walks.
Friday was always the return date for Suzuki. The Cubs wanted him to get a full week of games under his belt before they activated him from the IL. He looked solid in his limited plate appearances with Knoxville and will boost this Chicago offense.
Suzuki is in the lineup for Friday’s game against the Pirates, hitting fifth and playing right field in his first game back. Manager Craig Counsell did say, though, that the slugger will not play every day right now as he continues to ramp up.
Dylan Carlson DFA
With Suzuki being activated from the 10-day IL on Friday morning, the Cubs had a tough decision to make. The team had to make a move to open up a roster spot on the 26-man roster ahead of Friday’s game.
The North Siders decided to designate outfielder Dylan Carlson for assignment as a corresponding move. Carlson went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts across the first two weeks and was clearly the odd man out in this outfield group.
The Cubs could have designated Scott Kingery for assignment instead of Carlson. However, Kingery offers greater versatility in the field, as he can play three infield positions (second base, third base, shortstop) and all three outfield positions. Chicago also likely didn’t want to carry five true outfielders on its roster.
Phil Maton Placed On 15 Day IL
The big surprise this morning was the Cubs placing Phil Maton on the 15-day IL due to a right knee issue. But given his recent struggles on the mound, it’s not much of a shock to see him dealing with some type of injury.
Maton has allowed multiple runs in three straight appearances, which included allowing two runs on three hits across ⅔ of an inning on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. He just hasn’t looked right on the mound in the early going.
Hopefully, this time off will help Maton regain some confidence and help his knee get right. The 33-year-old is a key part of this Cubs’ bullpen and is coming off a season in which he finished with a 2.79 ERA and 81 strikeouts across 61 ⅓ innings pitched.
Ethan Roberts Called Up
In a corresponding move to Maton’s IL stint, the Cubs called up right-handed reliever Ethan Roberts to take his spot in the bullpen. This will be Roberts’ second stint in the big leagues this year, as he appeared as the 27th man in Sunday’s doubleheader against the Guardians.
Roberts allowed one hit across ⅔ of an inning in Game 2 of the doubleheader. He’ll look to make an impact in the bullpen while Maton is dealing with that knee injury. The right-hander has a career 4.91 ERA across 44 innings pitched in his Cubs career.