The Chicago Cubs activated right-hander Kevin Gausman to the 26-man roster Wednesday, opening a rotation spot ahead of the finale of a three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Wrigley Field.
To make room, the Cubs optioned left-hander Antoine Kelly to Triple-A Iowa.
Guasman arrived in Chicago Sunday night in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, who received outfielder Brett Bateman and infielder Ty Southisene in return. The two-time All-Star went 5-10 with a 4.38 ERA in 23 starts for Toronto this season, striking out 127 batters in 127 1/3 innings. He leaves the Blue Jays organization after nearly five seasons, pitching to a 53-51 record and a 3.62 ERA.
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Gausman's Cubs debut is expected this upcoming weekend against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium, with manager Craig Counsell indicating that Gausman could take the mound as early as Friday.
Kelly's turn on the active roster was brief, having just been recalled on July 31. He put up strong numbers with Iowa, pitching to a 2.79 ERA with 22 strikeouts over 13 appearances in Triple-A. He returns to the minors as the Cubs continue to sort out a suddenly crowded pitching staff, one that added Clay Holmes, Ryan Zeferjahn and Braxton Garett at the trade deadline.
When discussing the Cubs' moves at the deadline, Counsell likes the pitching depth they added and that the staff will have to be creative in how they manage all the new arms. The Cubs hold the second-best record in the MLB at 63-49 and have received great outings from internal arms in Javier Assad and Colin Rea.
Chicago closes out its series with Los Angeles, one of the top National League teams, on Wednesday before heading out to Kansas City, where Gausman is expected to make his first Cubs appearance.
