The Cubs made another series of roster moves on Tuesday, as they placed two players on the 10-day injured list.
Outfielder Michael Hermosillo landed on the IL with a left quadriceps strain and second baseman Nick Madrigal with low back tightness.
The Hermosillo move, retroactive to Sunday, made room on the active roster for the Cubs to activate left-hander Wade Miley from the 10-day IL (left elbow inflammation). He took the mound Tuesday, making his Cubs debut.
Cubs manager David Ross said Hermosillo’s injury “wasn’t bothering him too much” at first, and he tried to play through it.
“Then just the flight out here, some swelling set in and got it looked at, and it was more serious than we thought,” Ross said.
It will be a few weeks before Hermosillo resumes baseball activities, according to the Cubs.
Closer to game time, the team put Madrigal on the IL.He’d felt back tightness during the game Monday, a 6-0 win against the Padres, and did not bounce back well on Tuesday, according to the team.
To replenish their middle infield depth, the Cubs selected infielder Ildemaro Vargas from Triple-A. He was already on the trip as a member of the taxi squad and played 15 games with the Cubs between 2020 and 2021.
Vargas finished last season with Pirates and Diamondbacks but signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs over the winter, joining spring training as a non-roster invitee.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Vargas on Tuesday, the Cubs designated right-hander Adrian Sampson for assignment. Sampson was also in San Diego as a member of the taxi squad.
Pitching plan
When Ross was asked before Tuesday’s game who would take the mound for the Cubs in the series finale Wednesday, he said: “I don’t know yet.”
The rotation is shorthand with right-hander Marcus Stroman on the IL (no designation) and Alec Mills still a few bullpens away from resuming his rehab assignment. Mills started the season on the 10-day IL due to a low back strain but experienced a setback with quad tightness in between rehab starts.
Wednesday will likely be another bullpen day, the Cubs’ third in a little over a week.
“Under the circumstances, they’ve done a nice job of adjusting,” Ross said of the bullpen. “They haven’t been our strongest games. And that’s to be expected. A lot of guys have different roles.”
The off day Thursday should help. On Wednesday, Ross won’t have to be cognizant of saving bullpen arms for the next day.
Suzuki scratched
The Cubs scratched Seiya Suzuki from the lineup Tuesday, after he was originally penciled in as the designated hitter. Suzuki left Monday’s game with right ankle soreness.
Yan Gomes replaced him in the lineup Tuesday as the DH.
In other roster news
The Mets claimed left-hander Locke St. John off waivers from the Cubs on Tuesday. The Cubs had designated him for assignment last week to make room for right-hander Robert Gsellman on the 40-man roster.
