Cubs' Maddon unsure who will fill Anderson's spot
The Cubs don't have to do anything right away about an open spot in their starting rotation, but it looks like they will go one of two ways.
They placed left-handed pitcher Brett Anderson on the 10-day disabled list Sunday because of a strained lower back. Anderson injured himself during the first inning of Saturday night's 11-6 loss to the New York Yankees at Wrigley Field.
Manager Joe Maddon indicated the Cubs would either move lefty Mike Montgomery out of the bullpen to take Anderson's spot, or they would recall right-hander Eddie Butler from Class AAA Iowa.
The Cubs have an off-day Thursday between series at Colorado and St. Louis. They have another off-day next Monday.
"We can do a lot of different things," Maddon said. "Just watching these guys pitch the next three days, does anybody need an extra day? Do you want to pop in a sixth guy in there? There are so many different ways to look at it because of the Thursday, Monday (off-days) coming up. So we haven't committed to anything yet except that it would be one of those two guys."
The Iowa shuttle:
To replace Brett Anderson on the roster, the Cubs recalled right-handed reliever Justin Grimm from Iowa. He had been sent to Iowa this past Friday.
The Cubs also recalled infielder Tommy La Stella from Iowa and optioned left-handed pitcher Rob Zastryzny to Iowa. Zastryzny worked 4 innings Saturday night upon being called up. La Stella opened the season on the big-league roster.
"I'm feeling OK," he said Sunday. "It's a little bit of a different approach being down there and getting 4 or 5 ABs every night. You take a little bit of a different approach. When you get your 1 (at-bat) in the seventh and you get your pitch, you don't want to miss it.
"I just wanted to make sure I was getting back into the flow of the game a little bit. It had been awhile. It had been a few years since I was able to play consistently every day and get 4 and 5 ABs. Just kind of establishing myself, a little bit different approach."
Missing Matt:
The Cubs are hoping outfielder Matt Szczur can land on another major-league roster after he was designated for assignment Saturday. Joe Maddon called the move "excruciating," adding that Szczur "is everything you want in a teammate."
Szczur was a fifth-round draft pick of the Cubs in 2010, and he made his major-league debut in 2014.
"He's been prepared for this for a while," said first baseman Anthony Rizzo. "It's the best thing for him personally. He loved being a Cub. He's the embodiment of what being a Cub is all about. He wasn't selfish at all, knew his role, came in every day with a positive attitude."
Added Tommy La Stella: "Not just me, we're all going to miss him. He's a great guy, an awesome teammate. He's going to get a shot wherever. I'm sure he'll make the most of hit. So I'm happy for him there. He and I spoke yesterday after it happened. It's bittersweet because hopefully he's going to get an opportunity to take on a little bit more of an expanded role somewhere else. We're definitely going to miss him around here."