The Cubs bullpen put together an up and down first half as winding as the offense’s performance. But as relievers have returned from the injured list, with the help of some deep starts from the Cubs rotation, the bullpen has turned into a recent strength.
It entered Monday with a major-league best 1.09 ERA over the past 20 games. Then it got more good news.
The Cubs activated high-leverage reliever Julian Merryweather from the 60-day IL on Monday. The right-hander had been out since early April with a rib stress fracture.
“It’s great to get him back,” manager Craig Counsell said. “It’s been a long time for sure.”
To make room for Merryweather on the roster, the Cubs transferred left-handed reliever Luke Little, who is likely out for the rest of the season with a strained lat, from the 15-day IL to the 60-day. And they optioned rookie reliever Hunter Bigge to Triple-A Iowa.
“Our bullpen’s thrown really well recently,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “I say that only because it’s such a challenge – you build a bullpen, and these things do go up and down, not just for us, for everybody.
“I’m proud of those guys that they’ve stabilized really well, and they’ve done well during this stretch. And there’s going to be games going forward that we give up runs, but I think that we’ve stabilized well, which isn’t that easy in-season to do.”
Trade deadline implications
Even without a group of relievers on expiring contracts, like the Cubs have had at the trade deadline in recent years, the bullpen presents a unique opportunity.
The Cubs would prefer to have a strong bullpen in the second half. But because of the volatility of the position, and the value for playoff-bound teams down the stretch, teams who trade relievers at the deadline can get a beneficial return.
“You have to be opportunistic, not just as it relates to the bullpen, but with everything,” Hoyer said. “You’re always going to be listening, you’re always going to be thinking about what things can make us better for the future.
“There are seasons when you play so well, you put yourself in such good position, where the only focus is on how do we get ready for the playoffs? How do we make sure that we make this team bulletproof for the next 61 games? We’re obviously not in that spot. So, when you’re not in that position,you have to have to be optimistic and try to be creative and think about things like that.”
Bellinger injury update
Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger (fractured left middle finger) has been hitting in the batting cage everyday since Friday, Counsell said. And as long as Bellinger’s session Monday goes well, he’s set to progress to hitting on the field Tuesday.
“Cautiously optimistic,” Counsell said of Bellinger’s progress. “We haven’t done the velocity and the changing speeds, and so there’s some hurdles to clear. But what he’s done this weekend was more than we expected.”