Next Man Up

Another one bites the dust.

I have nothing more than anecdotal evidence, but it sure seems like injuries are up across the league this year and Chicago is no exception.  So far, we've had such keys cogs as Anthony Rizzo and Ben Zobrist hit the disabled list with back problems, Eddie Butler hurt his hammy, and Kris Bryant get drilled in the head with a pitch.  The latest casualty is Yu Darvish, who is suffering from the parainfluenza virus and Javy Baez might soon join him on the DL with a lower body injury.  As such, there has been a few more roster moves than there normally is at this point in the Cubs' season and, thus, business is booming here at Wrigley Roster Jenga.  Unfortunately, so far, none of these injury replacements have much of a cardboard presence and I do not have cards prepared for entry into my Cubs All-Time Roster Collection.

I know... first world problems, am I right?

First, we had journeyman, Efren Navarro, sub at first base, then late-blooming prospect, David Bote, took up temporary space in the infield.  After that, Luke Farrell came up to sop up the innings that Butler was missing before giving up back-to-back, walk-off dingers to the Cardinals.  It should come as no surprise then that Luke was immediately demoted back to Iowa in favor of a fresh arm, in the form of Cory Mazzoni:

Mazzoni was claimed off of waivers from the Padres in November and then again from the Dodgers in late March, so clearly the Cubs see some potential in the former prospect.  For his part, Cory debuted with a solid, scoreless frame (with a K) in the ninth inning of yesterday's win over the Marlins.  Of course, that was also against a Marlins team being blown out 14-2 and probably just wanting to get back to their hotel.  That said, his control (just one walk in AAA) would be welcome in the Major League pen.

The latest Cubs hurler to join the all-time Cubs roster also becomes the third addition to my custom "Topps Now Call-Up" supplementary series.  As I mentioned with Farrell, Bote, and Navarro, this minor league reinforcement simply doesn't have much of a cardboard footprint.  Plus, after seeing this wonderful photo with his battery mate on Getty, I had to whip something up.

So far as Major League cards go, the only checklist on which Mazzoni appears is the 2015 Topps Update set and he's forced to share the spotlight with Chris Rearick on that one.  Beyond that, dating back to his days as a prospect in the Mets chain, our hero makes appearances in three different 2011 products:  Donruss Elite Extra Edition, Playoff Contenders and Playoff Prime Cuts.  Then, of course, there are his MiLB team-issued singles.  I suppose that a fair amount of options; however, since I rarely bust prospect-laden products, I do not have a Mazzoni ready to go for my CATRC binder.

If anyone has an extra one of these puppies lying around, I'm more than willing to talk trade!

While I never root for injuries, I must admit, roster moves do get me excited because I love the possibility of adding new names and cards to my collection.  I must also cop to the fact that I get a tad bit irrationally disappointed when I do not have a card in queue for said new player.   On the bright side, if Adbert Alzolay, Anthony Bass, Duane Underwood, etc. get the call at some point this season, at least I'm prepared for their addition.

At any rate, welcome to the Windy City, Cory Mazzoni!  Maybe he'll do something cool and earn a real Topps Now card during his MLB trial.