(670 The Score) With 49 games left in the regular season, the Cubs’ focus has shifted to player development after their sell-off ahead of the trade deadline on July 30.
Part of that development process will include getting a look at some young pitching. With that in mind, the Cubs are moving to a six-man rotation, as they’ll start 26-year-old left-hander Justin Steele when they host the Brewers on Tuesday.
It will mark Steele’s first MLB start. He posted a 2.03 ERA in 11 appearances out of the Cubs’ bullpen in April and May. In recent weeks, he has been stretching out at Triple-A Iowa.
Steele won’t be the only youngster getting a bigger opportunity. Right-hander Keegan Thompson is also building up his pitch count at Triple-A after posting a 2.21 ERA in 27 appearances for the Cubs this season. Thompson is expected to follow Steele into the rotation before September begins.
Ace Kyle Hendricks and right-hander Adbert Alzolay appear to be locks to be in the team’s rotation in 2022. The future is less clear for others. Right-hander Jake Arrieta and right-hander Zach Davies are set to be free agents. Right-hander Alec Mills is under contract control through 2025 but has previously been utilized in different roles.
The entire Cubs staff understands why a six-man rotation will be used.
“I explained to the pitchers about why this is a valuable approach,” manager David Ross said. “It’s their job to go out and pitch. Everyone seemed to be fine with it. We communicated the reasons why, and everybody was on board."
Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy added a six-man rotation will help keep everyone fresh.
"Every single pitcher is having a heavier workload than last year,” Hottovy said. “They all want to finish healthy. That's the goal for even the guys who are going to be free agents next year. Especially the goal is we want to keep them all strong. Going with a six-man (rotation) will only cost them one start. It’s not like they will miss three or four. They will go from 10 to nine. They also all understand as an organization, it’s important to be able to evaluate what we got.
“The No. 1 thing is we talked to them at length about this in spring training. The conversation was about how we would manage guys' innings coming off of what we went through last year. Even Kyle Hendricks coming off of (throwing a lot of innings for a 60-game season in 2020), so what we what we wanted to do for next year is still maintain the workloads for all of the guys. Not just for Adbert, Steele or Thompson. The smart thing to do with a six-man is to be able to move pieces around and give guys rest but also maintain the health of everyone involved.”
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.