Ethan

Roberts

Roberts provides the Cubs with a fresh arm heading into Tuesday’s game against the Reds. The 27-year-old righty has tossed six scoreless appearances in seven appearances this season a the highest level.

Roberts was sent out in-between games of Saturday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals as the Cubs looked to add a fresh arm to their bullpen. The 27-year-old hurler should get another chance with the big-league club at some point in the second half of the season.

Roberts is back in the big leagues for Saturday’s doubleheader against the Cardinals, just a few days after being optioned to the minors, with southpaw Luke Little (shoulder) landing on the injured list. The 27-year-old righty has made three scoreless relief appearances this season in the majors.

Roberts has been shipped back to the minors with Mark Leiter Jr. back from the injured list for Tuesday’s contest against the Orioles. The 27-year-old righty has reeled off three scoreless appearances this season in the big leagues.

It was only a matter of time until the 26-year-old hurler got a chance to work out of the Cubs’ bullpen. Roberts has been outstanding across three minor league levels this year, hurling 15 innings of shutout baseball with a 0.93 WHIP and an 18/8 K/BB ratio. He’ll help to fortify the middle innings for manager Craig Counsell and could work his way into a higher leverage role if he continues to put up zeroes.

The 26-year-old hurler had an opt-out clause in his minor league deal coming up and the Cubs wanted to keep him around, so they made room for him on their 40-man roster. Jose Cuas was designated for assignment in a corresponding move. Roberts has been outstanding in 10 appearances at Triple-A Iowa this season, posting a 0.93 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and a 13/6 K/BB ratio over 9 2/3 innings. It’s only a matter of time before he gets an opportunity to pitch out of the Cubs’ bullpen.

There are a ton of notable prospects in the latest batch of cuts from Cubs camp, including Shaw, Caissie, Brown and Alcántara. However, the headliner here is Crow-Armstrong, who figured to open the season as Chicago’s starting center fielder. The 21-year-old defensive virtuoso figures to be up shortly, but his roster spot will likely go to Mike Tauchman, who is out of options this spring. Shaw and Caissie are among the top prospects in the organization and figure to make an impact for fantasy managers once they get a shot, which could happen in a few months.

Roberts returns to the fold in Chicago after being non-tendered just a few weeks ago. The 26-year-old righty made nine relief appearances for the Cubs during the 2022 campaign before missing all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. He should be ready to contribute at some point during the 2024 season, if his stuff bounces back to pre-surgery levels.

Roberts missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery and will likely have to settle this offseason for a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training. The 26-year-old righty is likely just organizational relief depth at this point.

Roberts underwent Tommy John surgery last June, so he’ll be sidelined until after the All-Star break. The 25-year-old righty could help out of the Cubs’ bullpen in the second half of the year.