Well, this is a bummer. I’m sure most fans who saw the Chicago Cubs calling up Antoine Kelly from Triple-A on Friday thought someone was getting designated for assignment, or that it was a simple bullpen swap to add a fresh arm, but instead the move was made because of another injury.
Right-handed pitcher Gavin Hollowell has been kind of nasty out of the bullpen since June, but he’s going to miss at least a couple of weeks. The 28-year-old pitched a scoreless eighth inning in Thursday’s 4-2 win over the St. Louis Cardinals, but now Hollowell has been placed on the 15-day injured list because of shoulder inflammation.
The Cubs announced the roster move, promoting Kelly to take Hollowell’s spot in the bullpen ahead of Friday’s series opener against the New York Yankees.
The right-handed reliever missed nearly three weeks in April with an unspecified injury when he was with the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A.
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Hollowell had a rough season debut, allowing two runs in 1.2 innings, which included four walks in what was supposed to be a low-leverage spot against the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs were up 8-1 when Hollowell entered in the eighth inning, and he couldn’t make it out of the ninth, forcing Craig Counsell to go to Daniel Palencia to escape a bases-loaded jam. Hollowell was optioned back to Iowa the next day.
However, because of all the pitching injuries, Hollowell received another shot, and he’s been pretty damn good since returning from Triple-A. In his last 13 games, Hollowell has recorded a 1.42 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 12.2 innings. He’s been asked to pitch in more high-leverage situations, including a save opportunity against the Pittsburgh Pirates last week, which Hollowell converted.
So, just like that, the Cubs have lost one of the most effective relief pitchers. Sure, they have a handful of bullpen arms nearing a return in August, but while a lot of the focus has been on adding to the starting rotation, this injury should add some motivation to add at least one more quality reliever by the trade deadline.
And it’s not just missing Hollowell that could hurt in the near future; Trent Thornton is making a strong case to be booted out of the bullpen, too.
