The Cubs told Carlos Silva there is no opening on the 25-man roster for him, and that they’d like him to consider going to Triple-A Iowa. But Silva said Saturday there’s “no chance” he’ll pitch in the Minor Leagues.
“No chance,” Silva said. “That’s not in my mind right now, not at all. I’m not an insurance player. My guess is that’s what they want.”
The Cubs picked right-hander Andrew Cashner for the fifth spot in the rotation and Marcos Mateo for the final bullpen spot. Silva, who turns 32 on April 23, got off to an 8-0 start last season, his first with the Cubs. But he struggled in the second half and battled injuries, finishing 2-6 with a 6.15 ERA in his final 10 outings.
Although he was happy for Cashner, Silva wasn’t too pleased with Cubs pitching coach Mark Riggins, who gave him the news.
“I’m surprised because I’ve been working very hard and feeling a lot better,” Silva said. “[On Friday], I wanted to throw my pen and I felt really good. Riggs came to me and said, ‘What a day, and now go out there and do your workout and continue pitching the way you’re doing.’ A half hour later, he called me into the hall and started talking to me.
“I’m like, if you have to say something, be straight,” Silva said. “He has to learn he’s in the big leagues now, know what I mean? There’s no kids around here anymore. The way he laid it out, I don’t know what he was trying to do. He said, ‘Man you’ve been throwing good, you can pitch, blah, blah, blah.’ He said, ‘What if you go to Triple-A and throw some games to continue building and continue getting better?’ I told him I don’t need to go there, I’m ready to go, I feel good, I’m ready to pitch.
“Then he told me, there’s no spot in the rotation or the bullpen. He should’ve started with that first and then say you’re throwing the ball good.”
This is Riggins’ first season as the Cubs pitching coach, getting promoted from his job as the Minor League pitching coordinator.
