Being that he’s starting this afternoon for the Chicago Cubs, we knew Justin Steele (elbow) would be activated from the Injured List today.
But he’s not alone, as reliever Jorge Lopez, who’d been rehabbing at Iowa, has also been activated off of the Injured List (groin). To make room, Jack Neely and Daniel Palencia have been optioned to Iowa. Each pitched last night – Palencia exceptionally well – but I suppose the Cubs are still looking to optimize to every last possible degree. The minimum option stint is 15 days for pitchers, so unless there is an injury on the staff, neither Neely nor Palencia will be back up with the big league team this season. They will, however, be competing for a bullpen spot next spring.
Steele’s return was discussed here, but Lopez’s return is a mild surprise given how poorly he fared earlier this week in an outing at Iowa (a true disaster of an appearance). It would certainly be nice if Lopez, who was brilliant for the Cubs ever since they picked him up after the Mets booted him, could finish out the season with a couple strong performances. It’s very TBD what happens to him this offseason as he heads into free agency, but if he looks good to finish the season, some teams may view him as having really figured something out in his time with the Cubs.
Hayden Wesneski, who is also now ba🍷ck with the tꦡeam, is to be activated in the coming days.
