Cubs Roster Update: Lackey Activated, Butler Optioned to AAA

The backlash over that Game of Thrones cameo has reached all the way to the Cubs. Wait, that was Ed Sheeran.

In what easily ranks up there among the most transparent and obvious moves we’ve seen this season, John Lackey’s activation pushed Eddie Butler back to AAA Iowa. The former has been known for some time, given that Lackey was really only on the DL to accommodate Kyle Schwarber’s return to the team.

The addition of Jose Quintana to the roster pushed Butler to the bullpen and Dylan Floro back to Iowa, but that was only temporary. While there was a hope that a relief role would help Butler, whose high-90’s fastball belies his anemic strikeout numbers, it was clear that he needed to work on his control.

There’ll be another move coming later in the week when Kyle Hendricks is reactivated, but they’ll cross that bridge when they come to it.