Could Jaxon Wiggins Be the X-Factor for the Cubs' Bullpen?

When Cade Horton suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery, there was a thought that top Cubs pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins could have a similar trajectory to Horton's rookie year.

However, right elbow inflammation for Wiggins cost him nearly two months of this season and stunted what looked like a promising year for the 24-year-old right-hander. Wiggins was coming off a strong camp in Arizona. Not to mention, with all the injuries the Cubs dealt with to start the year, had Wiggins remained healthy, he may have gotten a real shot in the MLB rotation.

Wiggins' Rough Return to Triple-A Iowa

Wiggins did return to Triple-A Iowa on July 10th after a three-game rehab stint and was terrible with a 12.21 ERA in five starts. Teams were slugging .448 off the righty in his return to the rotation. In his most recent start back on Aug. 4th, Wiggins walked the bases loaded and eventually walked in a run before giving up a grand slam in the 3rd inning, all with two outs.

Wiggins threw 69 pitches in 2.2 innings and only managed 38 strikes in the outing, walking 6 batters and raising his season ERA to 9.82 at Triple-A Iowa. The issue for Wiggins has been control, issuing three walks or more in four of his five starts in his return from his elbow injury. Nevertheless, the stuff was still good enough to get multiple strikeouts in each of his outings, despite only going 2 or 3 innings of work.

Could a Role Change Unlock Jaxon Wiggins?

After Jaxon Wiggins made his last start on August 4th, the No. 6 overall prospect (per MLB Pipeline) for the Cubs made a switch to the bullpen. So far, he's looked great. He hasn't allowed a run in three outings in relief with three strikeouts for the I-Cubs. Wiggins' fastball even reached 97.4 mph.

While the Cubs do have options for their rotation, the bullpen still lacks swing-and-miss stuff, especially at the back end. With that in mind, Wiggins and his fastball-slider combo being played up in the Triple-A bullpen has me salivating right now.

Remember, Wiggins is a guy who stands at 6'6 and was clocked throwing a fastball at 101 mph just last year. His stuff is legit, he just hasn't controlled it this season until his switch to the bullpen. Of course, it's a very small sample size of only three games, and Wiggins still has a 9.00 ERA for the year.

What's Next for Wiggins and the Cubs?

But with how close he was to making his MLB debut earlier this year and the type of arm he could be in the bullpen, there's a strong chance Wiggins is included in the Cubs' September call-ups next week. Now, that other arm could easily be Javier Assad, who was just optioned down to Triple-A Iowa ahead of the Seattle series. Fans would certainly be comfortable with that, as well.

If Wiggins continues to get results in the bullpen, the Cubs would be hard-pressed to find another arm with his type of upside and strikeout ability. Then again, Ben Brown is getting close to returning to the Cubs, and Justin Steele is reportedly facing live hitters in Arizona. Things could change quickly for the Cubs roster, but Craig Counsell has plenty of options going into the final month of the season. That's great news for a team still hoping to catch the Brewers at the top of the NL Central.

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