Cubs can no longer delay the Caleb Thielbar decision with the playoffs almost here

Caleb Thielbar was one of the saviors for the Chicago Cubs' bullpen last October, but as the Cubs start to map out their playoff roster this time around, Thielbar has made a clear case to be one of the players left without a spot.

Thielbar's latest outing was a reminder of the risk the Cubs would run by leaving him on the playoff roster. Sure, it was an extra-inning game on Tuesday, and the Cubs' bullpen was already stretched thin, but Thielbar was tagged for three runs on two hits in an inning of work.

After his efforts, Thielbar's ERA is up to 4.99 through 57 appearances with the Cubs this season. What's kept Thielbar around this long is his ability to strike hitters out, over 28% of the time this season, but he's also averaging over 2 home runs per nine innings pitched.

What's also kept Thielbar around this season is the reality that the Cubs have been short of effective left-handed options in the bullpen. The expectation was that Thielbar and Hoby Milner could check that box for Craig Counsell, but it's largely just been Ryan Rolison.

The Cubs don't have to DFA Caleb Thielbar, but his status for the playoff roster is clear

Given that there are only five games remaining in the regular season, it wouldn't make much sense for the Cubs to designate Thielbar for assignment. After the Cubs played 12 innings on Tuesday night and likely will have a double-header against the Boston Red Sox this weekend, they will need as many available pitchers as possible to get them through the rest of the season.

That said, it seems clear that Thielbar should be left off the playoff roster. Given the nature of how playoff rosters are constructed, the Cubs wouldn't really have a lack of left-handed options. Rolison will certainly be the go-to option against left-handed hitters, but it would seem likely that the bullpen will include at least one option from the group of left-handed starting pitchers that include Matthew Boyd, David Peterson, and Shota Imanaga.

Replacing Thielbar, who likely would be relegated to working the middle innings of a playoff game, with one of the Boyd, Peterson, or Imanaga in the bullpen feels like the best path forward for the roster. There's also Justin Steele, who could make his return this weekend.

The nuance of playoff rosters gives the Cubs additional left-handed options to consider for the bullpen, and that should point to Thielbar being the odd-man out.

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