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It seems forever ago when Chicago Cubs reliever Ethan Roberts won a bullpen job at Spring Training in 2022. Since then, the 26-year-old right-hander has dealt with several injuries, most notably Tommy John surgery last year. This year, he is back, healthy, and currently tearing it up with Triple-A Iowa.
Ethan Roberts is now up to 8 ⅓ scoreless innings (27.3% K-BB%) in AAA and just completed his first back-to-back appearance returning from TJS.
— Greg Zumach (@IvyFutures) June 10, 2024
His sweeper is leading the way with a 41.9% whiff rate and heavy sweep, averaging 20 inches of movement. He could be close to a call up. pic.twitter.com/jTKcrAKjMP
With the Cubs' record underwhelming this season, the bullpen is often cited as a catalyst. The team's 4.33 bullpen ERA is only the 22nd-best in the league. With Roberts currently on a tear in Triple-A, as Greg Zumach points out, a callup may be near. If the Cubs have hesitated to trade for a reliever to help fix the problem, given the prospect capital a trade could cost in May vs. July, then Roberts coming up can be part of the solution.
Cubs could turn to forgotten pitching prospect for bullpen need.
Roberts' sweeper is beautiful and plays well with his cutter, given the horizontal movement both pitches produce at different velos. Out of the hand, it can make it hard to pick up the spin at first, leaving hitters with minimal time to square a pitch up. It's a small sample, but Roberts not giving up a home run yet plays into that pitch mix that will play at any level as long as he keeps control of his arsenal.
He has a 2.86 ERA in over 300 IP in the minor leagues but has not had the chance to shine on the grandest stage due to injury. Now, he has an opportunity for everything to come full circle if he keeps performing as he is. The Cubs desperately need help internally from guys who can go in and lock down innings, so whoever is playing well deserves a shot right now. If Roberts keeps going like this for much longer, you can expect to see him in Chicago soon. The sooner, the better.