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3 candidates to join Chicago Cubs starting rotation after Justin Steele injury
After Justin Steele's hamstring injury on Opening Day, the Cubs will have to call on their starting pitching depth to fill the void in their rotation
Opening Day did not go well for the Chicago Cubs this year. The team lost the game in extra innings, Craig Counsell had to use almost every reliever in the bullpen and Adbert Alzolay blew his first save opportunity of the year. Oh and Justin Steele got hurt while fielding a groundball in the fifth inning.
This hamstring injury will send the Cubs' ace to the injured list in heartbreaking fashion after just 4.2 innings of work in the first game of the year. It's a major blow that stings a lot, but the team is going to have to pick up the pieces and move on for however long Steele is sidelined. That means one of these three pitchers will slot into the starting rotation and try to pick up the slack.
1. Hayden Wesneski
Wesneski was sent down to Triple-A earlier this week with the expectation that he'd be back at some point to either slide into the bullpen as a long reliever or make starts in the rotation if someone went down. I don't think anyone was expecting Steele to go down, let alone this early, but here we are and Wesneski is probably the best option to take on the role.
A year ago, the right-hander was in the Cubs' rotation after winning the job in Spring Training. He didn't keep it long and eventually moved to the bullpen, but the stuff is there. The 26-year-old features one of the best sliders in baseball and we saw a flash of greatness after Wesneski was acquired by Chicago in 2022 (2.18 ERA). The guy is still young and capable of turning in quality innings despite a bad season in 2023.
At the very least, Wesneski will likely be called up from Triple-A to fill in as a long-reliever because the next guy on this list is also a viable candidate.
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2. Drew Smyly
Drew Smyly is certainly not the most ideal candidate. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say I wanted as much time as possible to pass before the southpaw had to make a start in 2024. As a starter last year, Smyly began the season hot with a 3.09 ERA in May. But he plummeted back to Earth in ugly fashion and he posted a 5.62 season ERA as a starter. He is simply more effective out of the bullpen in smaller instances and the team shouldn't try to squeeze more than that out of him right now. Especially with younger and frankly more capable options.
All that being said, Smyly is the most experienced option available and his role in the rotation would be temporary. Hopefully, the majority of Smyly's appearances this year come out of the bullpen, for everyone's sanity.
3. Ben Brown
If the Cubs want to avoid burning Wesneski's last major league call-up, they may opt to give a rookie like Ben Brown his first taste of the majors. At 24 years old, Brown is slated to be a starting pitcher for the Iowa Cubs this year, but the Cubs could expedite his arrival on the basis of his excellent Spring Training numbers. Brown tossed 14 innings this Spring with a 0.64 ERA and a 12/5 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He definitely needs more time to cook in Triple-A, but it may be better to build off his recent success and lean on him early because the team needs the firepower right now.
Steele joins Jameson Taillon and Caleb Kilian on the injured list, making the starting pitching depth look a bit thin at the moment. Calling up Brown doesn't mean you have to keep him here long-term with Taillon coming back soon. Brown is young and unseasoned, but this could be an opportunity to expose him to the majors and get more hands-on experience and knowledge from veterans. He is currently the second-best pitching prospect in the Cubs' farm system behind Cade Horton so it may be time for Jed Hoyer to unleash him.
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