When Hayden Wesneski made his major-league debut, he was the 15th Cub to do so this year. That tied last season’s total.
“A lot of after-game events,” veteran catcher Yan Gomes said Tuesday. “I feel like we’re doing that every other day; some new thing is happening.”
In the rush of debuts, as the Cubs continue to rebuild and evaluate which players fit into their plan for the future, there have been a handful of memorable ones.
Back in May, Christopher Morel blasted a pinch-hit home run in his debut. The same day, Brandon Hughes threw a hitless 1⅔ innings. Late last month, Javier Assad threw four scoreless innings. Just last week, Jeremiah Estrada’s fastball sat at 98 mph in a scoreless inning.
“It says a lot about the organization,” veteran left-hander Wade Miley said. “It shows how they’re bringing guys up through the system and have prepared them for these moments.”
Even with that backdrop, Wesneski’s five-inning debut stood out as he struck out eight and limited the Reds to two hits.
“I don’t know if it gets a whole lot better than that,” Miley said.
Gomes highlighted Wesneski’s composure during his outing, a theme among the rookies who have made an impact in their debuts.
Wesneski said when things “were going a little sideways,” he recentered himself by staring at the top of the left-field flag pole and taking deep breaths.
That’s not an easy thing to do in an unfamiliar ballpark, with new teammates, soaking in a raucous atmosphere.
“Oh, they were loud,” Wesneski said of the crowd for the last out of the Cubs’ 9-3 victory. “I didn’t think Chicago on a Tuesday would get this loud. I can’t even imagine with the playoffs and stuff like that. . . . And it fired me up on a Tuesday.”
Wesneski did have some familiar faces to turn to in the dugout. He had worked closely with assistant pitching coach Daniel Moskos when they were in the Yankees’ organization. And he and infielder David Bote got to know each other when they overlapped at Triple-A Iowa last month.
“It’s just fun to be a part of it,” Bote said. “It’s a special moment. And obviously he was lights-out, and that makes it even more fun.”
The Cubs are closing in on the major-league record for players used in a season, which they set last year with 69. With about a month to go, they’ve used 61 players.
Injury updates
Catcher Willson Contreras was scheduled for an MRI exam on his left ankle Wednesday. The Cubs put him on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, retroactive to Saturday. He has been battling soreness off and on since rolling his left ankle four weeks ago.
“Making sure everything’s on the up-and-up in there,” manager David Ross said, “and go from there.”
Corner infielder Patrick Wisdom (sprained left ring finger) has been hitting in the batting cages. He’s eligible to return from the 10-day injured list whenever the Cubs clear him.
