Cubs Roster News: Zagunis and Hancock Called Up, Tseng and Zastryzny Sent to Iowa

After Jen-Ho Tseng and Rob Zastryzny pitched two innings each during Tuesday’s game against the Marlins, both will be sent back to Iowa for Mark Zagunis and Justin Hancock.

https://twitter.com/CarrieMuskat/status/994241665874481154

This will be Zagunis’s second trip back to the bigs. The burly outfielder failed to record a hit in 18 plate appearances last season, but he is having a solid season at AAA right now, batting .298 with three dingers in 115 plate appearances (14.8% BB, 15.7% K).

Welcome to the show, Justin Hancock. The 27-year-old will finally make his MLB debut after grinding through the minors since 2011. It’ll be a fun and emotional moment for the minor-league journeyman, who was drafted by the San Diego Padres and sent to the Cubs in the Matt Szczur deal last season. The 6-foot-4 righty is having an impressive season with Iowa, totaling a K/9 of 11.93 while only walking 2.51 per nine innings (3.77 ERA, 3.01 FIP). You might remember Joe Maddon singing Hancock’s praises during spring training.

Expect more moves like this in the future as the Cubs use the bottom of the roster to replace injured position players and supply fresh arms for the bullpen.