Cubs reward Rosscup with a call-up
Zach Rosscup was all set to head to Arizona after the season ended Monday for the Cubs’ Class AAA Iowa club.
Instead, he wound up in Chicago.
“It was a surprise, for sure,” Rosscup said Tuesday at Wrigley Field. “The pitching coach, Mike Mason, over in Iowa, I was ready to go grab my stuff off the bus because I was flying to Phoenix.
“He said, ‘Hey, we need to see you.’ I went into the office, and it was a great feeling after I found out.”
Rosscup was somewhat of a surprise call-up as he was not on the 40-man roster. The Cubs selected his contract from Iowa and designated outfielder Dave Sappelt for assignment to make room on the 40-man.
The Cubs also recalled right-handed pitcher Justin Grim, left-hander Brooks Raley and catcher J.C. Boscan from Iowa.
Rosscup, 25, came to the Cubs in January 2011 from Tampa Bay in a trade that also brought Matt Garza to Chicago. Between Class AA Tennessee and Iowa this year, he struck out 83 in 51 innings and did not allow an earned run in 9 appearances at Iowa.
Both Raley and Rosscup will help ease the load of left-handed reliever James Russell, who had logged 70 appearances entering Tuesday. The Cubs also made a statement of sorts by rewarding Rosscup.
“That’s kind of what makes the world go ’round in all occupations,” manager Dale Sveum said. “Performing is obviously the biggest thing. Being a guy, left-handed, with not overpowering stuff, but his fastball plays a lot better than the velocity it shows.
“Obviously, he has a slider. We’re looking for two lefties in the bullpen, and we’ve got to evaluate and see what we can come up with, whether it’s in-house or (outside).”
Top pick honored:First-round draft pick Kris Bryant was named the Cubs#146; minor-league player of the month for August. Right-hander Pierce Johnson was the pitcher of the month. Both players are at Class A Daytona.Bryant batted .381 (32-for-84) with 9 doubles, 1 triple, 7 home runs and 21 RBI in 24 games between Boise (A) and Daytona. He had a .438 on-base percentage and a .762 slugging percentage, good for an OPS of 1.199, second highest in minor-league baseball.Johnson went 3-0 with a 1.02 ERA (2 earned runs over 172frasl;3 innings) in four August games, 3 starts, for Daytona. He walked nine and struck out 22, limiting opposing hitters to a .186 average.