Chicago Cubs send Koji Uehara to the DL, promote Justin Grimm
Koji Uehara heads to the disabled list for the Chicago Cubs with a stiff neck, Justin Grimm replaces him on the roster.
According to multiple reports, the Chicago Cubs will send relief pitcher Koji Uehara to the disabled list on Wednesday with a stiff neck. Uehara faced two batters against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night. He did not look right on the mound, leaving everything up and not being able to locate his pitches. It was later revealed that Uehara was dealing with a sore neck.
He will now get time to rest, as the Cubs bring up Justin Grimm to take his spot on the roster.
Early in the season, Uehara was one of the most dependable arms in the Cubs bullpen. He has not been bad recently, but he has not been as automatic. On the season, Uehara has a 3.55 ERA and 3.35 FIP. According to FanGraphs, he has a strong 28.9% strikeout rate and 7.1% walk rate.
More than anything, this is probably just a way for the Cubs to keep the 42-year-old Uehara fresh. I am sure his neck is bothering him, but it does not appear to be a major issue. Uehara has had a heavy workload for the Chicago Cubs this season and a little bit of time off should help him.
The Cubs will promote Grimm to replace Uehara on the active roster. Grimm has had an extremely inconsistent season. When he has been good, he is nearly impossible to hit. However, more often than not, Grimm struggles with control that leads to poor outings.
On the season, Grimm has a 5.18 ERA and 5.44 FIP. Not exactly what you’d like to see out of a one-inning reliever (or any pitcher for that matter). His high 12.1% walk rate (FanGraphs) has undoubtedly helped contribute to his struggles.
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All in all, this move should not move the needle much for the Cubs. As long as Uehara does not miss a ton of time, a little bit of rest would be good for him. Joe Maddon still has plenty of weapons to work with in the bullpen and Grimm can be a serviceable replacement arm out there as well.