The Chicago Cubs have reinstated reliever Mark Leiter Jr. from the 15-day injured list on Tuesday. In a corresponding move, the team also optioned right hander Ethan Roberts to Triple-A Iowa.
Leiter hit the IL on June 23 due to a forearm strain. He had arguably been one of the best Cubs relievers all season outside of a few bad outings.
During his first 20 games, he had been lights out. Across 20 innings, the 33-year-old had a minuscule 0.90 ERA with 26 strikeouts and seven walks.
He then had back-to-back outings where he allowed seven runs (six earned) in just an inning, ballooning his ERA to 3.43. He righted the ship over his next seven performances, allowing just two runs. In his last three appearances before the injury, the right-hander allowed seven runs over 3.0 innings, leaving his ERA at 5.34.
The few blow up outings, especially the few before the injury, left his 2024 numbers looking poor, but Leiter had been one of the few arms the Cubs could count on out of the bullpen. His K/9 sits at 12.2, which is the best on the team.
The rest of the bullpen has continued to struggle.
Closer Hector Neris has an ERA above 4.00, and Hayden Wesneski and Drew Smyly both have ERAs around 3.50. Luckily, midseason acquisition Tyson Miller has been exceptional in Leiter's absence.
Roberts was sent down to make room for Leiter. The 27-year-old rookie made three appearances without allowing a run and striking out three over 4.0 innings.
In what has been a disappointing season for Chicago, Leiter's return signals help for the area that has been the biggest issue for the team thus far.
If he can get back to his early season form coming out of this injury, then he and Miller could be a big help in getting the bullpen on track.
