Hayden Wesneski looked for an open breakfast spot Monday morning, his choices scarce on Labor Day in Jacksonville, Fla.
Wesneski and his Triple-A Iowa teammates had the day without work, and with in all places seemingly closed for the vacation, he needed to accept shopping for breakfast in a gasoline station. Before he might full the transaction, a name got here by means of from Iowa supervisor Marty Pevey, who knowledgeable Wesneski the Cubs referred to as him up.
“Breakfast went out the window as I was trying to figure out what to do,” Wesneski mentioned Tuesday. “I teared up a little bit, I mean I’m not going to lie. I’m not going to hide it, but it was really cool.”
After receiving the decision, Wesneski nearly referred to as Pevey again to double-check he was certainly becoming a member of the Cubs.
“I hadn’t gotten many texts from the big-league side, and I told my dad, ‘I think I got called up?’” Wesneski mentioned. “I wasn’t sure, like, I haven’t got any text messages. He goes, ‘Well, I can’t tell anybody that until you figure it out for real.’”
Everything grew to become actual for Wesneski on Tuesday when he arrived at Wrigley Field and placed on his dwelling pinstripes along with his identify and No. 19 emblazoned on his again. He anticipated to have 15 to twenty folks on the ballpark for the collection opener towards the Cincinnati Reds, although his dad and mom weren’t capable of make it as a result of his mom is sick.
Wesneski’s arrival felt inevitable by the top of the season after the Cubs acquired the 24-year-old from the New York Yankees earlier than the commerce deadline for reliever Scott Effross. Wesneski’s eligibility to be chosen within the Rule 5 draft this offseason if the Cubs didn’t add him to the 40-man roster, mixed along with his efficiency in his final 4 outings for Iowa (2.37 ERA and .143 common towards in 19 innings), led to this chance.
President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer mentioned Wesneski’s efficiency at Triple A was what the Cubs anticipated other than a tough first begin (eight runs in 1⅔ innings).
“Since then he really stabilized and his stuff is real,” Hoyer mentioned Tuesday. “Velocity has ticked up. Obviously his slider’s really good. He’s been really tough on righties. He’s going to go on the 40-man roster this winter and we were talking about the right time to bring them up, so this felt like it.”
Wesneski is seen as a big-league starter, however his first style of the majors got here out of the bullpen. He was the Cubs’ bulk reduction selection Tuesday in a 9-3 win over the Reds after left-hander Wade Miley allowed three runs (two earned) in 4 innings in his first begin since June 10.
Wesneski — the fifteenth Cubs participant to make his major-league debut this season — impressed in 5 scoreless innings, placing out eight of the 18 batters he confronted and permitting solely two hits and a stroll.
Coming out of the bullpen follows the trail the Cubs utilized for Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson final season earlier than they transitioned again into the big-league rotation. Wesneski’s final look for Iowa on Aug. 31 was a five-inning reduction stint.
The Cubs advised Wesneski a number of days in the past they needed to make use of him out of the bullpen to assist management his innings.
“They just want to give me options,” Wesneski mentioned. “We’ll see how it goes the rest of the year. I mean, we still have a month to get to work, but for now I’m out of the pen. That’s fine. I’ve done it before and we’ll figure it out.”
Hoyer didn’t decide to the Cubs wanting to have a look at Wesneski in a beginning position sooner or later over the ultimate 4 weeks. He cited the well being of the Cubs’ different starters as a consider that call.
“Honestly, I could easily see that, but we’ll kind of take it game by game,” Hoyer mentioned. “We’ll start him in the bullpen and you could easily see a scenario where that happens. But we’re not going to force that.”
Whether Miley can keep wholesome, one thing he has struggled to keep up this yr, might issue into the Cubs giving Wesneski begins. Tuesday’s begin was solely the fifth of the season for Miley, who was restricted by left elbow irritation in the beginning of the season and a left shoulder pressure that induced him to overlook the final three months.
Right-hander Adbert Alzolay stays a query mark for serving to the Cubs within the subsequent 4 weeks. A proper shoulder pressure sustained earlier than Alzolay arrived at spring coaching in March has prevented him from making his Cubs season debut.
The Cubs want to get him some big-league innings to set him up higher for 2023. Alzolay gave up one run in three innings throughout a Triple-A rehab begin Tuesday, his third outing with Iowa. Asked the place issues stand with Alzolay’s rehab project, Hoyer mentioned, “We’ll know a lot more after (Tuesday’s outing), so we can talk about that tomorrow.”
The uncertainty of Steele’s and Thompson’s availability additionally figures to play a component within the Wesneski resolution. Both pitchers are on the 15-day injured listing, Steele with a low again pressure and Thompson with low again tightness. Steele landed on the IL on Monday after he nonetheless didn’t really feel proper when throwing a bullpen session over the weekend in St. Louis.
The Cubs received’t rush both pitcher to return earlier than the top of the season. Steele already has pitched essentially the most innings (119) in a season throughout his skilled profession, whereas Thompson, at 104⅓ innings, is 25⅔ from surpassing his profession excessive.
Ideally, each would get in additional work earlier than the season ends Oct. 5 in Cincinnati, however the Cubs received’t pressure the state of affairs. The focus stays on ensuring they’re fully wholesome heading into the offseason. Hoyer isn’t anxious about Steele’s or Thompson’s again accidents.
“I’d love to have them come back, but we’re not going to force it,” Hoyer mentioned. “I imply, if it feels pure and simple, they will ramp again up and get again to the extent they’re pitching at, we’ll do it. But we’re not going to pressure it if there’s any trepidation in any respect.
“The concern has to be getting those guys into the offseason healthy and ready to start their offseason conditioning. Both guys have real goals this offseason they want to reach.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com