The Chicago Cubs traded a few pitchers today, nominally due to injury, but I’m hoping it’s just to give Keegan Thompson a well-deserved rest in a season where he’s put his high-innings career behind him.
Anderson Espinoza, who always drives the up-down train, is back:
That stated injury for Thompson it’s “low back tightness,” which hopefully is just a way to finish him off. We know that most of us deal with lower back strains from time to time, so it’s probably always there and available as an injury term when you need one.
In other words, I hope this isn’t a serious injury issue for Thompson, just to give him some peace of mind.
In the meantime, however, the Cubs need to figure out the implications of the rotation, especially now that Wade Miley may not make a comeback as expected. New pitching prospect Hayden Wesneski, who pitched the same day as Thompson, could be an option next time. He needs to be included in the 40-man roster this off-season anyway, so why not take the opportunity to give him some major league exposure?
Righty Javier Assad, who has had great results and could be a 40-man contender himself, would be another option. Of course there’s Caleb Kilian, but it’s hard to tell what the development schedule is for him at the moment given how mechanically things seem to have gotten mixed up for him. Or the Cubs could go a fill-in-only route with someone like Luke Farrell or Matt Swarmer.