Cubs prospect Luke Little said he felt nervous when Triple-A Iowa hitting coach John Mallee told him to go to the manager’s office.
“I was a little scared when I got in there and the pitching coach [Ron Villone] came in and kind of joked with me a little bit,” said Little, who the Cubs called up on Wednesday from the Tennessee Smokies. “He said that ‘Tennessee was in a playoff race and said that I got to go to the big leagues instead.’”
Little has played primarily out of the bullpen this year, sporting a 2.12 ERA across three minor-league levels, after starting the season in High-A. The converted starter threw back-to-back games at Triple-A Iowa last week and adds another left-handed option to the bullpen.
“We’ll use him as needed, in the pockets that we identify in the game situation that calls for it,” manager David Ross said pregame. “I think the main thing is he’s throwing the ball really well. We’ve been looking for a lefty for a while now, and he’s thrown the ball really well, and we are going to give him an opportunity to see what he can do.”
Ross said it’s “key” that the organization has developed Little to the point where he’s an option out of the bullpen. MLB Pipeline ranked the Cubs fourth in its midseason farm system rankings, with two pitchers — Cade Horton and Ben Brown — being top 100 prospects.
Little said he hasn’t had any conversations about his role on the major-league team but that he’s ready to help the Cubs, who currently hold the NL’s second Wild Card spot.
“It’s a little bit of an adjustment, but at the end of the day, I’ve got to go out and do my job as a baseball player,” Little said. “I’ve got to go throw to the best of my ability, and obviously, it’s intensified because we’re in a playoff race.”
Bullpen update
Closer Adbert Alzolay hasn’t pitched since Friday, and Ross said he’s dealing with a minor injury.
“Everybody’s dealing with something this time of the year, and you give guys days off, or you can try to rest and stay away from them,” Ross said. When guys are dealing with stuff, you’ve just got to give them a little bit of rest. Sometimes four days is better than 15.”
Ross also discussed why he trusted José Cuas immediately after his midseason trade from the Kansas City Royals.
“I have this thing about just presence, poise and personality,” Ross said, “that when you see how guys talk and how they handle moments from the jump, there’s an appreciation for ‘I’m just going to go out there and do my thing’ with him. He’s evolving, willing to work, and he’s been working on that slider command, and seeing how well it’s gotten. It showed up the last couple of games working on getting that thing over, and he still competes in the zone.”
Cuas has held opponents scoreless in 14 of his 15 innings with the Cubs and has a 0.61 ERA with the Cubs.
Injury Updates
Reliever Michael Fulmer (right forearm strain) was scheduled to throw a light bullpen on Wednesday.