There has been much speculation about who would be removed from the 25-man roster when Steve Cishek was activated, expected to happen before Tuesday’s game. Some thought Pedro Strop might head back to the injured list. There isn’t another obvious choice on the pitching staff, and thus here is the somewhat surprising move:
David Bote has had his playing time reduced with the acquisition of Tony Kemp and the recalls of Ian Happ and Addison Russell from Triple-A Iowa. This will mean the Cubs will temporarily be going with nine relievers, a 14-man pitching staff and just three bench players (whoever doesn’t start at catcher and at one of the infield and one of the outfield positions).