Cubs Recall Ethan Roberts for Bullpen Help

With Porter Hodge on the shelf for a while following his IL designation due to an oblique issue, the Cubs have recalled righty reliever Ethan Roberts from Triple-A Iowa. Roberts pitched well over nine April appearances, with the only blemish being a four-run game against the Phillies. The sweeper specialist has a 1.69 ERA with 18 strikeouts across 10.2 innings for the I-Cubs, and he’ll provide some depth as Craig Counsell searches for a way to fill high-leverage spots.

Roberts gets huge horizontal break on his sweeper, with its 21.4 inches of glove-side movement sitting more than seven inches greater than the MLB average. Only two other pitchers get 20 or more inches of sweep on comparable offerings, with Will Warren‘s 20.1 inches putting him second behind Roberts.

He’s fun to watch when that pitch is taking off like a frisbee, that’s for sure.