Nelson Velázquez in Chicago, Javier Assad Optioned to AAA

Nelson Velázquez has been on fire at Triple-A Iowa to start the season and it looks like that performance actually was enough to earn a promotion. No official roster announcement has been made yet, but Velázquez is in Chicago and he’s got a locker in the clubhouse. More details to come…

In a strange move, Javier Assad has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room. Neither promotion nor demotion is odd in and of themselves, but the combo makes little sense. The Cubs really don’t need Velázquez up just to be an extra outfielder, especially with Seiya Suzuki coming up soon, so why not option a position player?

What’s more, they’re now down a man in the bullpen and aren’t counting on Drew Smyly to eat innings. I guess we’ll see how it all plays out.

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