The Cubs are about to get a deadline addition into their rotation, and they’re making room for the ripple effects that come with it.
Clay Holmes, acquired from the Mets even though he was on the 60-day injured list, is set to make his first start for Chicago on Saturday, according to Cubs manager Craig Counsell, via Taylor McGregor of the Marquee Sports Network. Holmes had already checked the rehab box before the trade, so the Cubs weren’t walking into this blind. His most recent tune-up covered 5 1/3 innings and 73 pitches, and he looked ready to move from the rehab trail straight into a big league assignment.
Chicago doesn’t need to clear a 40-man roster spot for him right now, since the club has an open vacancy. But an active roster move will still be required.
Holmes had been rolling before the injury stopped him. He put up a 2.39 ERA across nine starts, and his season took a turn when a comebacker from Spencer Jones fractured his fibula. Since then, he’s made three rehab starts and now appears lined up to jump right back into the mix.
That return lands at a time when the Cubs’ rotation is already getting crowded. A few days ago, the group was Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson, Javier Assad and Colin Rea. Kevin Gausman’s arrival may have already nudged Rea into a long relief job, and Counsell said Rea’s next start will be skipped with the right-hander headed to the bullpen for the next turn through the rotation, per Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Holmes’ activation could create another squeeze, with Assad a possible bullpen candidate or even a ticket to Triple-A. Edward Cabrera is also on the IL with a hamstring strain, though he has started a rehab assignment and could be back soon.
If that all comes together, Chicago may need a six-man rotation at times. Counsell made clear that wouldn’t be a full-time answer: ‘‘I think we will go with six at certain times, yes,’’ Counsell said, per Duber.
‘‘Every time through? No, we can’t do that.
It puts too much on the bullpen.’’
Holmes has the kind of track record that makes a move to relief feel unlikely after the Cubs brought him in as a deadline prize. Gausman, Imanaga, Boyd and Cabrera all give Chicago plenty of rotation choices, and Peterson may be the odd man out before long even though he has steadied himself since coming over from the Mets in a June trade.
Peterson’s fit is part of the puzzle, too. He’s another ground-ball arm, much like Holmes.
In New York, he carried a 6.09 ERA at the time of the trade, with a .350 batting average on balls in play helping drive that number. Since landing at Wrigley and pitching behind a strong Cubs defense, his BABIP has dropped to .227 and his ERA has improved to 4.36.
That stretch helped Chicago survive a stretch with limited rotation depth, but the new arrivals may push him toward a swingman or long relief role.
The Cubs’ only position-player addition at the deadline was Tyrone Taylor, and his usage looks just as specific. Taylor is known first for his glove, but Counsell said the plan is not a strict platoon. Instead, left fielder Ian Happ will give way to Taylor against some lefties, according to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
That makes sense based on the numbers. Happ, a switch-hitter, has been ordinary overall but cold lately.
He hit .230/.349/.469 through the end of May, then slipped to .198/.304/.348 since June 1. Against left-handers in that stretch, he’s down at .154/.228/.250.
Taylor brings the opposite profile. He’s a defense-first outfielder, but he has also put together a productive year at the plate, hitting .236/.285/.493 with 10 home runs.
Against lefties, he’s been even better at .289/.299/.566. For Chicago, that makes him a clean fit for the role they appear ready to give him.
There’s also a free-agent angle hanging over both players. Taylor’s bat has picked up at just the right time, which could help his value when he hits the open market. Happ, meanwhile, is headed the other way unless he can snap out of this recent slide.
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