Mike Montgomery still doesn't sound very happy.
The Cubs southpaw hasn't created any waves or rocked the boat since a person from his camp spoke out during the winter meetings in December about his role with the organization.
Roughly two months after those meetings, the Cubs signed Yu Darvish, effectively pushing Montgomery back to the bullpen until the Cubs need to dip into a sixth starter (which will come at some point).
A month into the season, that time hasn't come yet for Montgomery to join the rotation and he's been scratching his head in the bullpen while starters Darvish, Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood have struggled with command or other issues.
"It's tough with my role because there is no role," Montgomery said. "It's tough to get into a rhythm. It's tough to get anything going.
"So I just gotta prepare for any situation. But yeah, it's tough not knowing your role."
Montgomery will always be etched in Cubs history as the guy who got the final out of the 2016 World Series. He was stretched out as a starter in spring training and was ready to fill the role of the long man if needed in 2018.
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But things haven't really panned out that way, due in large part to all the unplanned off-days the Cubs have had thanks to ugly weather.
Montgomery made only 44 appearances last year, 14 of which were starts. Of his 30 relief outings, 22 of them consisted of more than one inning.
In 2018, Montgomery already has six outings of one inning or less out of the bullpen, with only two games coming of the multi-inning variety.
He's on pace for 62 appearances this season, including working in three straight games for the first time ever in his career (the first three games of the year in Miami).
Montgomery said he hasn't had any conversations with Joe Maddon or the Cubs coaching staff about his role.
"I don't even think they know the role," Montgomery said. "There's really nothing to talk about in that sense. My end, I just gotta go out there and pitch when asked. I think they're trying to best put me in spots that are beneficial for the team."
Montgomery has not been all that effective in his new role...whatever it may be.
He's allowed runs in four of his last five outings and has walked a batter in all five appearances this month. He also strangely has just three strikeouts in 10 innings while whiffs have been coming in record amounts around baseball to begin 2018.
Even though he has bounced between the rotation and bullpen for his entire big-league career, Montgomery admitted it doesn't get any easier to deal with the unknown.
"It's tough no matter how long or short you've done it because there's really no routine," he said. "But it is what it is, so for me, whether it's easy or not, it doesn't cross my mind.
"My job is to be good. It's definitely a tough role, but I'm just gonna try to make the best of it. I know being in that role last year, just kinda building the mental toughness. You could be pitching in any situation — from the first inning to extra innings.
"So right now, it's just about being ready when asked."