Cubs Option Carl Edwards Jr. to AAA, Rowan Wick Recalled

Carl Edwards Jr. came off the injured list Friday after spending nearly six weeks on the shelf with an upper thoracic strain, but his stay in Chicago lasted all of three days. He pitched in just one game, entering a dirty inning Sunday and issuing a walk to load the bases, then hitting a player to drive in one run and allowing a single to push two more across.

By the time Edwards managed to record the inning’s third out, a game in which the Cubs had already looked listless was effectively out of hand. The righty had looked good during four rehab outings in Iowa prior to his activation and was pitching well for the Cubs prior to the IL stint, but his fastball velocity was down Sunday (92.8 mph, lowest average of 2019) and he just wasn’t sharp.

That’s nothing new for Edwards, whose season was derailed by an illegal delivery before it really even got started. He was optioned to Triple-A Iowa in April to rework his mechanics and regain his confidence, a move that appeared to have been working for a while. But as Jesse Rogers reported on the radio prior to tweeting, the Cubs felt another demotion was necessary.

It’s possible this is a precursor to a trade, as the Cubs have reportedly been connected to Tigers righty Shane Greene, but the more immediate need is for Edwards to get right. A change of scenery might do him good, even if that just means spending a little more time in Des Moines.

No official announcement had been made as of post time, which means no corresponding move, but Rogers suggested Rowan Wick as the likely promotion. A subsequent tweet from Sahadev Sharma confirmed that Wick is being recalled.

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