KANSAS CITY – The four innings Colin Rea threw Saturday might not have seemed terribly different from his usual day at the office.
But for the Cubs’ righty, everything was different. Those innings came in relief.
“When you’re starting, … you can have a slow build-up to the game, so you can feel your stuff out,” Rea said Sunday. “Whereas coming out of the bullpen, you’ve got to be ready to go.
“You’re on from Pitch 1. There’s no easing into the game or getting a feel for stuff, like as a starter. That’s something I’ve got to work on.”
Rea has shifted from the rotation – where as an injury fill-in he racked up the second most starts on the team – to the bullpen in the wake of the trade deadline, when the Cubs added righties Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes to the starting staff.
With the new guys in, some of the old guys had to move out. Rea and righty Javier Assad were bumped to depth pieces, good ones, considering their work helping an injury-ravaged staff stay afloat this summer.
Depth issues helped the Cubs to an earlier-than-hoped playoff exit last fall. While Rea would rather be starting, a longer period of relieving before he might be asked to pitch out of the bullpen in October could prove helpful.
“I view myself as a starter, and have faith in myself that I can start at the major league level. But I think this is good moving forward, especially come postseason time,” Rea said. “There’s a good chance, like last year, I would be in the bullpen anyway. This gives me time to really work on what we need to work on.
“I might need to do things a little different in the bullpen. Now we have that time from now till the end of the season to figure out what that’s like.”
Rea and Assad taking on new roles, coupled with the influx of more talent, makes the pitching staff as a whole much stronger.
“The new additions, it’s going to be fun to watch those guys. I’m excited,” Rea said. “They’re veteran guys who know what they want to do, and I can pick their brains at the same time and translate it to help me.”
Miller time?
Righty pitcher Shelby Miller started a minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday
The Cubs signed Miller, a veteran of 13 major league seasons, to a multi-year deal in the spring as he worked his way back from elbow surgery, not expecting him to pitch much – if at all – in 2026.
Miller, who posted a 2.74 ERA in 48 relief appearances last season, has made impressive progress.
“Shelby’s rehab and return to play, at this point, has gone as well as it possibly could,” manager Craig Counsell said. “We’ve got to a place that we probably didn’t anticipate getting to … when we signed him.
“We’ve got steps to go here still, so I wouldn’t consider this like, ‘Yeah, Shelby Miller’s back.’ … His rehab’s going to be a little longer, and we have to be a little safer with his rehab, as well.”
Calling on Caleb
Lefty reliever Caleb Thielbar has struggled, his ERA exploding to 5.30 thanks to seven runs allowed in his last five outings.
Thielbar has allowed 10 home runs, a worrisome trend for one of the Cubs’ most counted-on relief arms.
“I know Caleb’s going to have to get big outs still,” Counsell said, “and I’m going to continue to use him in big spots because he’s going to be our best matchup in some situations.”