Cubs Roster Moves: Grimm, Caratini Optioned to Make Room for Wilson, Avila

In a pair of moves (or is it really just one move?) that we had pretty safely assumed would be taking place today, Justin Grimm and Victor Caratini have been optioned to AAA Iowa in order to make room for the additions of Justin Wilson (I actually typed that as “Willson” at first) and Alex Avila.

Grimm has a 5.18 ERA and 5.55 FIP in 40 innings and had previously been optioned to AAA after a rough start this season. He came back looking sharper, but really dropped off in July. Over 11.1 innings, the big righty put up a 7.94 ERA that was perhaps a little worse that it should have been, at least if you trust his 6.24 FIP. The truly unacceptable aspect of Grimm’s pitching was a K/BB ratio of exactly 1:1. Yes, he posted identical 7.15 K and BB/9 marks last month.

Fresh off his first MLB homer, Caratini heads back to Iowa in order to get everyday playing time so he can continue to develop as a catcher. He acquitted himself well behind the plate and looked like he was coming around as a hitter, but he really needs a chance for more reps at this point.

The expectation is that both will be back up when rosters expand.