It’s Tuesday night here at BCB After Dark: the grooviest gathering of night owls, early risers, new parents and Cubs fans abroad. We’re so glad you decided to stop by. Please come on in and sit with us for a while. There’s no cover charge. We have a few tables available. There’s a two-drink minimum, but you need to bring your own beverage.
BCB After Dark is the place for you to talk baseball, music, movies, or anything else you need to get off your chest, as long as it is within the rules of the site. The late-nighters are encouraged to get the party started, but everyone else is invited to join in as you wake up the next morning and into the afternoon.
Last night, I asked you if one of the Cubs top prospects, catcher Owen Ayers, should make his major-league debut when the rosters expand on September 1. Most of you were against it, as 74 percent of you said “no.”
On that front, the Cubs signed free agent catcher Austin Wynns today. Wynns had been designated for assignment by the Rangers last week. So that gives Iowa a second catcher if the Cubs want to call up Ayers. Or they could call up Wynns, I presume, if they just want a third catcher.
On Tuesday nights, I don’t normally do any movie stuff. But I always have time for jazz, so let’s take a break for that now.
Tonight we’re featuring vocalist Samara Joy in studio performing “You Stepped Out of a Dream” in 2024. A great performance of a jazz standard, written by Nacio Herb Brown and Gus Kahn in 1940.
Yesterday I asked you the straightforward question of whether or not the Cubs should call up catcher Owen Ayers when rosters expand on September 1. Tonight, I’m going to try to tackle the much more thorny issue of what to do with the pitching staff.
The Cubs bullpen currently looks like this:
Aaron Civale RHP
Daniel Palencia RHP
Colin Rea RHP
Ryan Rolison LHP
Caleb Thielbar LHP
Trent Thornton RHP
Jacob Webb RHP
Ryan Zeferjahn RHP
Down in Iowa, left-hander Hoby Milner is on a rehab assignment and will have to be activated by this weekend. There’s a lot of speculation of whom Milner might replace, with the possibility of Thielbar being designated for assignment. However, Palencia, Rolison and Zeferjahn still have minor league options, and the Cubs could decide to send one of them down. In any case, if one of them goes down, they can’t be brought back up to the majors for fifteen days unless there’s an injury. Of course, you can almost always find an injury in a pitching staff.
So let’s assume that Milner is activated on Friday, when his 30-day rehab assignment is ahead of roster expansion. Someone either gets released or sent down to the minors for 15 days. Who should then get called up on Tuesday?
One possibility is Shelby Miller, who has been terrific in his rehab appearances for the Iowa Cubs this past month. The Cubs signed Miller this past winter to a two-year deal as he was coming off of elbow surgery. He was expected to miss all of 2026 and pitch for the Cubs in 2027. However, his rehab has been ahead of schedule.
So far in Iowa, Miller has made six rehab appearances, five for Iowa and one for Double-A Knoxville. In that time, he’s pitched 5.2 innings and has allowed three runs for an ERA of 4.76. That doesn’t sound that great, except in that time Miller has struck out ten batters and walked just one. His fastball was sitting 95 miles per hour and his splitter came in at 86-87 in his last appearance. He has not allowed a run in his last two appearances.
Another possibility for a call-up is right-hander Ethan Roberts, who has become kind of a forgotten man in the organization. Roberts didn’t pitch all that well in the majors this year, which got him sent down to the minors on August 9. Down in Triple-A, his results have been better, posting an 0-1 record with a sparkling 2.21 ERA in 19 appearances. In 20.1 innings, Roberts has struck out 22 batters and walked eight, and giving up too much contact and walking too many batters was one of Roberts’ biggest issues in the majors this year. But one of the strongest arguments for calling up Roberts is that he still has an option, which means he could be sent back down to Iowa once someone like Ben Brown or Justin Steele is ready to return to the majors.
A third possibility is Javier Assad. Assad got sent down to the minors, despite pitching well in the majors, primarily because he still had an option and because the Cubs wanted to keep his stretched out so he’d be ready to start again in case of another injury. Assad might be the best pitcher to call up, but it would also mean he probably wouldn’t be stretched out to start if necessary.
Finally, there is the wild card of Jaxon Wiggins. The Cubs’ top pitching prospect coming into this season has battled injuries, but he’s fully healthy right now. He’s also been moved from the starting rotation to the bullpen in case the Cubs needed him this September. Wiggins’ line this year doesn’t look like someone ready to make his major league debut. He has an 8.31 ERA in 26 innings in Iowa. His ERA in his first five starts after returning to Iowa from the IL is 12.21.
However, since Wiggins has been moved to the bullpen, he’s made four appearances and has allowed no runs and no hits over four innings. Can’t get much better than that. OK, the four walks could be better, but Wiggins has also struck out seven in those four innings. He’s looked dominating out of the pen in Triple-A.
The downside to calling up Wiggins is that he’d have to be added to the 40-man roster, although Gavin Hollowell could always go to the 60-day IL. However, he has to be added to the 40-man this winter anyway to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. (Assuming there is one.) He also has options and could be sent back down to Iowa if and when Ben Brown or Justin Steele are ready to return.
So which pitcher would you call up on September 1 when rosters expand?
Thanks for stopping by tonight. It’s been nice hosting you. Please get home safely. Tell your friends about us. Don’t forget any personal items. Tip your waitstaff. And join us again tomorrow night for more BCB After Dark.
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