Chicago Cubs: Potential rotation options while Brett Anderson is out

After a second-straight start in which he failed to pitch past the second, the Brett Anderson experiment is beginning to look a little grim.

The Chicago Cubs signed Brett Anderson to a one-year, incentive-laden deal prior to the 2016 season with the idea that he would hold up the back-end of the rotation until 2018. Six starts in, that plan isn’t quite working out.

In those half-dozen starts, Anderson has only managed to pitch 22 innings, averaging less than four innings per start. You don’t need your fifth man to be a dominant force, but you certainly need more than what Anderson contributed.

On the season he’s 2-2 with an 8.18 ERA and a 2.09 WHIP. Against Philadelphia last week, Anderson threw 43 pitches and was pulled with just one out in the second inning after giving up seven earned runs. Saturday’s start against the New York Yankees didn’t get any better. The left-hander could only get through a third of an inning before exiting the game with lower back tightness.

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Injuries abound for lefty

Anderson has had an injury-riddled career, having reached the 170 innings mark only twice in his eight major league seasons. He had Tommy John surgery in 2011 and back surgery in 2016. He also suffered a number of other minor injuries throughout his career.

The statistics show that Anderson is a good, efficient pitcher when healthy. But that’s the catch. He misses significant time almost every season. You never know how a pitcher will look returning from a major injury. It is concerning to see Anderson leave with a back injury after having back surgery just a year prior.

With Anderson now headed to the DL, the Chicago Cubs will have to find a replacement for him in the rotation. It’s not yet clear how much time he’ll miss. But the security of his rotation spot when he does return is more than a little questionable.