It might be time for the Chicago Cubs to call up a veteran bullpen arm from Triple-A

There has been a group of relief pitchers that have been shuttled back an forth between Triple-A and the big leagues for the Chicago Cubs so far in 2025. With injuries and inconsistent performances and big moments, some are surprised that the team holds a three-game first place lead in the NL Central prior to Wednesday’s series finale at Wrigley Field against the Giants.

If it wasn’t for late inning struggles both ways for the Cubs on Tuesday night, they would have already claimed the series against San Francisco before getaway day. Trailing by two runs in the ninth inning, the Cubs rallied behind a pinch-hit RBI single off the bat of Justin Turner, and a game-tying knock with two outs from Kyle Tucker. However, Chicago couldn’t seal the deal in the ninth, as Seiya Suzuki struck out with the winning run on second base.

A nine-run top of the 11th was more than enough for San Francisco to even up the series, as closer Ryan Pressly allowed eight earned runs without recording an out in the frame. Porter Hodge worked a clean tenth frame, but the offense couldn’t come through with two runners on and less than two outs to end the ball game.

When looking deeper into this Chicago bullpen, there are multiple arms that can be identified as easily replaceable. They have options in Triple-A, and one of them is a veteran that had plenty of success at the big league level in Chicago a year ago.

Tyson Miller was solid for the Chicago Cubs in 2024

Tyson Miller was acquired by the Cubs last season from the Seattle Mariners and pitching coach Tommy Hottovy turned him into a weapon out of Chicago’s stable. The right-hander worked in 49 games a year ago and finished the campaign with an eye-popping 2.15 ERA in 50.1 innings pitched. Miller had a 5-1 record to pair with his impressive 0.81 WHIP, and opponents hit just .178 against him.

Miller didn’t look like himself in Spring Training this year and landed on the IL following the Tokyo trip with a left hip impingement keeping him out of action for a little while. The veteran has been back in Iowa after returning from the IL and he has looked sharp in his time at the Triple-A level.

It might be time for the Chicago Cubs to call up Tyson Miller

The 29-year-old has pitched in seven games with the Iowa Cubs and has a 1.08 ERA in 8.1 innings tossed. He has been pretty much unhittable and even has a 1-0 record in relief so far this spring. Miller has a 1.20 WHIP and opponents are batting .214 when facing him in this small sample size.

Based on what Miller did in Chicago a season ago and what he looks like right now at the Triple-A level, the front office might be thinking of calling him up at some point in the near future. As long as he is back to full health, there isn’t a point in keeping him down on the farm while the big league bullpen falters every third game. The Cubs need the best arms in relief available in their stable if they want a real shot at winning the division, and Miller looks to be one of those options right now.