Rafael Dolis’ reign as Cubs closer was short and ugly, and today the 24-year-old rookie was demoted back to the minors after being stripped of ninth-inning duties.
Dolis’ departure coincides with Carlos Marmol’s sooner-than-expected return from a hamstring injury, as the Cubs deemed him ready to come off the DL after he tossed back-to-back scoreless innings on a rehab assignment at Triple-A.
In a dozen appearances since taking over for Marmol at the beginning of this month Dolis blew two of his five save chances while posting a 7.71 ERA in 11.2 innings, walking nine batters.
Chicago has so few save opportunities to go around that officially naming a closer isn’t exactly a top priority for manager Dale Sveum, but he indicated that James Russell will get first crack at the gig with Shawn Camp looming as another option. Of course, that was before Marmol returned from the DL and while he’ll start off in a middle relief role it’s not hard to see the Cubs turning back to him as closer.
