https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/09/ ... hnson.htmlCubs Designate Pierce Johnson For Assignment
By Steve Adams | September 13, 2017 at 7:16pm CDT
The Cubs announced on Wednesday that they’ve designated right-hander Pierce Johnson for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for fellow righty Jen-Ho Tseng, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Iowa.
Now 26 years of age, Johnson once ranked as one of the Cubs’ very best pitching prospects and was considered the game’s No. 87 overall prospect by Baseball America in the 2013-14 offseason. The former No. 43 overall pick turned in a very strong 2.74 ERA with 9.4 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 across two A-ball levels in 2013 in order to earn that distinction, but his star has faded since that time.
Johnson posted similarly strong ERA marks in both 2014 and 2015, but he struggled with control in ’14 and saw his strikeout rate drop drastically in ’15. The Cubs shifted him to the bullpen for much of the 2016 season in Triple-A Iowa, but Johnson responded with a 6.14 ERA and 6.1 BB/9 through 63 innings that year (albeit with a gaudy 10.7 K/9 rate).
The 2017 season was better, as Johnson pitched almost exclusively in a relief role and posted improvements in ERA (4.34 ERA), strikeout rate (12.3 K/9) and walk rate (4.5 BB/9). He has an option remaining beyond the 2017 season, so he could very well draw interest from other clubs in need of pitching depth that can afford to exercise more patience with the once touted right-hander than the Cubs can afford to at this juncture.
The 22-year-old Tseng, meanwhile, currently ranks as the Cubs’ 13th-best prospect in the estimation of Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis of MLB.com. Chicago signed the Taiwanese righty to a $1.625MM bonus as an 18-year-old amateur back in 2013, and he’s enjoyed success at each stop as he’s risen through their minor league ranks. Tseng split the 2017 campaign between Double-A and Triple-A, logging a combined 2.54 ERA (including a 1.80 ERA in 55 Triple-A innings). He’s averaged a combined 7.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 this season, and his ground-ball rate spiked from 39.4 percent in 90 1/3 Double-A frames to 53.1 percent in his 55 frames in Iowa.
http://www.bleachernation.com/2017/09/1 ... o-bullpen/Jen-Ho Tseng is Coming Up to Start for Cubs Tomorrow, Mike Montgomery Back to Bullpen
September 13, 2017, by Brett Taylor Chicago Cubs News
Wow, this is a relatively implication-laden move, and I’m pretty excited about it.
Per multiple reports, one of the Cubs’ top upper level pitching prospects, Jen-Ho Tseng, who was today also named the Cubs’ minor league pitcher of the year (his second time winning the award (2014)), is coming up to start for the big league team tomorrow.
Tseng, 22, broke back out this year in a big way between AA and AAA, and was going to have to be put on the 40-man roster in any case this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. So, as Luke and I have noted for a little while now, *if* a Cubs pitching prospect was going to get a start, it was going to be Tseng.
But I have to confess, I’m still a bit surprised this is happening right now as the Cubs battle for a division title.
As near as I can figure, here’s the rationale: the move will push Mike Montgomery back into the bullpen, where he has been very effective and is probably even more needed at this point. In fact, he may wind up relieving Tseng early-ish in the game tomorrow to create a nice piggyback situation and a tough matchup for the Mets. If not, then Montgomery is available through the weekend for the big series against the Cardinals.
I think I like this. I think. But I have to think a little more.
Meanwhile, Tseng taking a start now could line the Cubs up to replace him in the rotation next time through with a returned Jake Arrieta. To be clear, I’m just spitballing on the timing, but it would line up with the hoped return timeline for Arrieta, whose been out a little over a week with a mild hamstring strain.
To make room for Tseng on the 40-man roster, Pierce Johnson was designated for assignment. More on that decision later.