Jordan Wicks Optioned, New Arm Joining Cubs for Holiday Weekend

Per the Cubs’ transactions page, lefty Jordan Wicks has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Despite picking up two saves in his last two appearances, the latter of which was of the three-inning variety in that shellacking of the Padres on Wednesday, the organization would prefer to keep Wicks stretched out as a starter. This also allows them to bring up a fresh bullpen arm for the holiday weekend against the Cardinals.

It’s possible they could tab one of either Drew Pomeranz, Aaron Bummer, or Liam Hendriks, though none of those pitchers are on the 40-man roster yet. Given how few healthy alternatives they’ve got, however, it’s not out of the question that the Cubs would be willing to make a personnel move. That said, I will put my money on Antoine Kelly.

The Cubs acquired the southpaw from the Dodgers for cash a little less than a month ago and he’s posted a 0.84 ERA with 11 strikeouts and three walks for Triple-A Iowa. He has yet to make his MLB debut, but he can get the heater up to 99 mph and would automatically become one of the more dynamic arms at Craig Counsell‘s disposal. Best of all, he’s already on the 40-man and would not require a corresponding move.

More to come…

Update: Kelly just pitched on Thursday, so maybe the Cubs are indeed going with Pomeranz. Not nearly as fun, but they don’t make moves in service of the fans.