Hayden Wesneski Continues Case for Cubs' Fifth Starter Role

Wesneski recently spoke with Jordan Bastian of MLB Pipeline about his mindset working toward earning a spot in the Cubs' rotation.

"It's one of those things, it's weird, because you're in a spot where you actually have a chance now," Wesneski said. "It's a different mindset, but I kind of go back to just doing [my] job, right? I've got to make a pitch at a time. And then if I don't make it, it's, 'I did what I could.'"

Wesneski has been dominant from the get-go this spring. In 8.2 innings , he has a 0.00 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, 11 strikeouts, two walks, five hits allowed, and a .161 batting average against. But what’s been most impressive from the 25-year-old is his “veteran-type presence,” which has not gone unnoticed by manager David Ross.

As Ross noted at the beginning of Spring Training , there’s an opening for the fifth spot in the rotation, with candidates including Wesneski, Adrian Sampson, and Javier Assad.

Assad has been solid in two Spring Training appearances, allowing zero earned runs and striking out two with one walk in four innings of work. Although he made eight starts last season, he may be better served as a long reliever/spot starter at the beginning of the season.

Sampson, however, hasn’t seemed to find his groove yet this spring. In 4.1 innings across two outings, he has a 20.77 ERA with three strikeouts and three walks. Even more concerning, he has allowed up six home runs and opponents are hitting a .350 against him.

There’s still time for Sampson and Assad to make their cases for the Cubs' fifth starter role to begin the season. But for right now, the eye test and numbers point to Hayden Wesneski being the easy choice.