Jorge

De La Rosa

This comes as quite as a surprise. De La Rosa could use at least three more months and maybe another full season in the minors, but it now appears that he won’t get it unless his performance this spring is poor enough to cause the Brewers to send him down and 29 teams to pass on him. If De La Rosa is going to make the team as a fifth starter or a middle reliever, there will be one less spot for Jose Capellan, Wes Obermueller, Jeff Bennett and a couple of other pitchers who might be on the bubble.

A key to the Curt Schilling trade to Arizona, De La Rosa has struggled with shoulder problems all season.

De La Rosa signed a minor league deal in April but hasn’t pitched yet this season. It’s not clear what injury he’s dealing with or when he might be game-ready.

The 38-year-old southpaw returns to Colorado, where he was a fixture in the starting rotation from 2008-2016. At this stage of his career, he’s nothing more than additional bullpen depth.

De La Rosa gave up a double and a walk in the frame, but he was able to escape without any damage. The southpaw holds a 1.59 ERA and 14/5 K/BB ratio in 17 innings since signing with the club last month. With Pedro Strop (hamstring) out for the remainder of the regular season, Cubs manager Joe Maddon figures to play the matchups in regard to saves. Jesse Chavez might be the favorite here.

De La Rosa walked four and threw a wild pitch. It’s the command issues that figure to prevent him from contributing in AL-only leagues.

De La Rosa might spend a few weeks in the minors before rejoining the Brewers. Carlos Villanueva will be recalled to replace him on the roster.

It’s not a loss. The Brewers might next try Jeremi Gonzalez in the rotation.

Rick Helling, Ben Sheets and Tomo Ohka are all candidate to be inserted into the Brewers’ rotation before the end of June, so De La Rosa probably wouldn’t last as a starter. He’s not worth using in NL-only leagues right now.

Newly acquired Jeremi Gonzalez could have potentially got the start but manager Ned Yost decided to go with De La Rosa. “I want to give De La Rosa a shot at it,” said Yost. “He’s been pitching pretty good.”