With Barney Returning, The Cubs Release Doug Davis

As expected, second baseman Darwin Barney was activated off of the disabled list today. Though, that is not the news of the day. As the case with any disabled list move, the Cubs had to make a corresponding move to make room for Barney on the 25 man roster. That corresponding move is what stole the thunder away from Barney returning.

May be I hyped the corresponding move more than I should have, but nonetheless, the move does have some lasting effects on the Cubs roster. To make room for Darwin Barney, the Chicago Cubs have (drumroll please) released veteran starting pitcher Doug Davis.

The move should not be that surprising to anyone. Davis never was able to regain his crafty form that gained him success throughout his career. The Cubs signed Davis after Andrew Cashner and Randy Wells went down with injuries, and hoped that the veteran lefty could fill-in as the team’s fifth starter while Cashner remains sidelined. Though, that was not the case as Davis struggled in most of his starts with the Cubs. In total, Davis was 1-7 on the season with an ERA over 6.

Manager Mike Quade has yet to name replacement for Davis in the rotation. Though, the expectation is that swing-man Rodrigo Lopez will make the start this Sunday against the White Sox, the next time Davis was scheduled to pitch. However, Lopez is not expected to be a permanent replacement in the rotation. The Cubs still want Casey Coleman to get a couple of more starts with the Iowa Cubs, so he does not appear to be a candidate. Some of the beat reporters have suggested that journey-man Ramon Ortiz could join the Cubs rotation. Ortiz is 6-3 with a mediocre 4.44 ERA with the Iowa Cubs this season.

This is my take. Seeing as the Cubs are already 13 game under the .500 mark, it is safe to say that they will not be in contention again this season. Having said that, what would be the problem with calling up a young prospect from Triple A. Granted most of the Cubs pitching prospects are still with the Tennessee Smokies, there are still a couple of pitchers in Iowa that deserve a chance. Most notably would be the pitcher that Luke has lobbied for in the past, that being Austin Bibens-Dirkx. But, Dirkx has struggled with the Iowa Cubs this season as he as an ERA  over 7. Considering the Cubs are not going anywhere this season, there would be no harm in letting Dirkx get his feet wet at the major league level.