Cubs Officially Activate Steve Cishek from IL

Steve Cishek’s stay on the IL due to left hip inflammation lasted the minimum 10 days, so it sounds like it was just precautionary after all. There was a little concern, though perhaps it’s best to call it paranoia, that this latest bout of discomfort was closely related to the torn labrum he suffered in 2016, likely as a result of his funky delivery.

But the sidewinder told a fellow patron at a juice bar Tuesday that he feels great and it was just a matter of needing so rest, so we’ll take him at his second-hand word. Cishek joins Brandon Kintzler, Craig Kimbrel, and Pedro Strop to give the Cubs what could be a very formidable back end, though that quartet doesn’t have quite the same margin for error it once did.

Perhaps that’s why Cishek’s activation came at the expense of David Bote, who was optioned to Iowa Monday evening. The imbalanced roster may only last a short time, but given how Joe Maddon likes to tinker with matchups, it’s a good idea to have a couple extra pitchers back there.