Jeff Samardzija Recalled to Join Cubs

The Cubs continue to make minor tweaks to their roster as they cling to relevancy in the NL Central race. After recalling Kevin Hart and Sam Fuld in the past few days, relief pitcher Jeff Samardzija was brought back to the big leagues Tuesday. He'll replace Jose Ascanio in the bullpen.

Samardzija, the highly popular pitcher who once played wide receiver for Notre Dame's football team, came onto the scene with a solid rookie season in 2008. He worked 26 times and compiled a 2.28 ERA. Earlier this year, though, Samardzija had a rough go at the major league level. In five outings, his ERA was a large 8.10.

In the minors, Samardzija was working as a starting pitcher. He's been good at times, but not consistent. He's 5-3 with a 3.72 ERA and 53 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings. There were some real gems (like a June 20 start where he threw eight shutout innings) mixed in with sub-par outings.

The problems exhibited by the Cubs major league relievers recently, though, likely dictated the Cubs make a move. Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg threw well on Monday night, but before that a quality outing -- especially with a close lead in the seventh or eighth innings -- from the setup squad was very hard to come by. The injury to Angel Guzman (2.53 ERA in 32 innings) and Marmol's awful command problems worsened the issue. There simply hasn't been anyone, other than Guzman, reliable this season.

Thus, it's entirely possible the Cubs realized the starting rotation -- which ranks fourth in all of baseball in ERA -- wasn't going to need help for a while, and that Samardzija would best help the organization as a relief pitcher for the Chicago Cubs, not a starter for the Iowa Cubs.

With the team as a whole trying to somehow recapture the regular season magic they had in 2008, it's only fitting they look for the same in Samardzija.

Other Cubs Movement:
Each of the past two first-round draft picks have been promoted to the next level in the minors.

Josh Vitters, the Cubs' top choice in 2007, and one of the top third base prospects in baseball, has been moved along to High Single-A ball. The 19-year-old has been raking in Low-A. In 70 games, he hit .316 with 12 doubles, 15 home runs and 46 RBI. One possible issue is plate discipline, as Vitters has struck out 42 times and walked only seven.

Andrew Cashner, the 2008 first-rounder who still has an outside shot at joining the big-league Cubs late this season, will depart the High-A club and move up to Double-A Tennessee. Cashner has been working as a starter, though his workload per start has been low because he's going to relieve in the bigs. He's not having much trouble disposing of the opposition. In 42 innings, the 6-foot-6 Cashner has allowed only 46 baserunners (1.10 WHIP) and seven earned runs (1.50 ERA). He has struck out 34 hitters. If he continues to progress and the Cubs' relievers keep struggling late in the game, expect the former collegiate closer to get a look in Chicago.