Cubs trim roster to 28

Teams were required to bring their active roster down to 28 players today and the Cubs did so by sending both lefties Rex Brothers and Justin Steele to South Bend.

There was a late push by the Players Association to keep the roster at 30 for the season, but instead they agreed that the roster would stick at 28 for the rest of the season instead of dropping to 26 like originally planned.

Steele did not get into a game for the Cubs, but Brothers made only two appearances and was disastrous in the second one giving up two home runs along with two walks and three strikeouts in an inning and a third against the Reds.

The move also leaves Kyle Ryan as the only lefty in the bullpen, which is slightly concerning considering his struggles this year combined with his very noticeable velocity loss.

They will likely return to two lefties once Brad Wieck comes off the injured list, but there is currently no timetable for his return.