The Chicago Cubs have been playing without a left-handed reliever since Opening Day and since Monday the team has been working with a seven-man bullpen. Prior to Saturday night’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, left-handed reliever Brandon Hughes was activated from the injured list.

However, the Cubs are sending Nelson Velázquez back down to the minors after he was the hero in Tuesday’s wild comeback win over the Seattle Mariners.

It is very possible that Velázquez could be back up with the Cubs within a few days because Cody Bellinger is expected to go on paternity leave as he and his girlfriend await the birth of their second child.

Until then the Cubs will have to rely on Patrick Wisdom and Trey Mancini as their backup outfielders now that Velázquez has been sent down to Triple-A.

In 2022, Hughes made his MLB debut with the Cubs and the lefty was solid throughout the season. Hughes had a 3.12 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, striking out 68 hitters in 57.2 innings. The left-hander also saved eight games and recorded eight holds as a rookie.

Seiya Suzuki Back

The Cubs finally have right fielder Seiya Suzuki back on their roster, activating him from the injured list prior to Friday’s series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers. To make room on the team’s 26-man roster, left-handed hitter Miles Mastrobuoni was sent down to Triple-A.

Mastrobuoni, who the Cubs acquired in a trade back in the offseason with the Tampa Bay Rays, ended up playing in eight games through the first two weeks of the season. He was one of four players to start in right field, filling in for Suzuki, getting nearly half the starts while the Cubs were without their regular starter.

Mastrobuoni went 4-for-20 at the plate, with a double, one RBI and one run scored. Although there was a brief stretch during the Cincinnati Reds series where he was hitting into some bad luck, Mastrobuoni just wasn’t cutting it offensively. He also struck out seven times and didn’t draw a walk.

Suzuki only went 1-for-5 in his season debut with the Cubs, but it was a big hit, crushing a home run to left field in the eighth inning,

Adrian Sampson to IL

On Friday, the Cubs also placed right-handed starting pitcher Adrian Sampson on the injured list down at Triple-A. The 31-year-old made two starts with the Iowa Cubs and the results were flat out bad. Sampson allowed 10 runs overall, eight of them earned on nine hits and what was especially concerning 10 walks in 8.1 innings.

Infield prospect Jake Slaughter is back from the temporarily inactive list on Friday for the Iowa Cubs as well.

It has been a tough eight weeks or so for Sampson, who was seen by some as the favorite to win the fifth starter role at the beginning of spring training. The righty was hit hard down in Arizona and was passed on the depth chart by not only Hayden Wesneski, who won the rotation competition, but also by Javier Assad who earned a spot in the Cubs Opening Day bullpen.

Fans watching Sampson in his first couple of starts with the Iowa Cubs this year noticed that his velocity was down from last year, so it’s not so surprising that he is now on the injured list. Hopefully whatever the issue is for Sampson isn’t major because although fans soured on him during spring training, he did show in 2022 that he can be a decent spot starter in case of emergency.

In 2022, Sampson made 19 starts and had two relief appearances for the Cubs. He posted a 3.11 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 104.1 innings. The veteran right-hander ended the year strong, recording a 1.63 ERA in his final 38.2 innings. All that being said, his 2022 season has been an outlier in what has been an otherwise bumpy career.

Relief Pitcher Released

So, Sampson is on the injured list and Javier Assad takes his place in the starting rotation down at Triple-A for the Iowa Cubs.

Assad was sent down to the minors on Monday after pitching three innings in relief against the Texas Rangers on Sunday. Assad made two relief appearances with the Cubs and he was shaky, allowing six earned runs on six hits and two walks in 4.1 innings.

The Cubs released left-handed pitcher Eric Stout earlier in the week to make room for Assad on the Triple-A roster.

The Cubs signed Stout last year and then again this past offseason to a minor league deal The 30-year-old has made 22 total MLB appearances, two of those with the Cubs in 20