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Cubs' Roster Expansion Plan In September: Bullpen Help, Pinch-Runner, 3rd Catcher

(CBS) Locked in a tight NL Central race, the Cubs are looking forward to roster expansion come September.

As you'd expect, the Cubs' plan includes adding bullpen help, a third catcher and likely a go-to pinch-hitter and pinch-runner. Like any team in contention, the Cubs focus on calling up players who can "play a role" and not upset the balance of the clubhouse, general manager Jed Hoyer said in an interview with Dan Bernstein and Jason Goff on 670 The Score on Wednesday afternoon.

"You want to bring up depth in all areas, but you also want to do it without changing the vibe of your team," Hoyer said. "And when you're in a pennant race, that's really important."

Outfielder Mark Zagunis would likely be a candidate to get called up. He's hitting .267 with a .859 OPS at Triple-A Iowa and had a seven-game stint with the Cubs earlier this season.

More than anything, it's the Cubs bullpen -- which has struggled in the second half of the season -- that could use help.

"That is the balance every year, and it's always a hard balance to figure out what the right number is," Hoyer said. "I think to me one of the most important things is that's the time of year where hopefully you can give your relievers a little bit of a break. I know from my standpoint and from Joe's standpoint, one of the most frustrating things about managing a bullpen over the course of the year is not the winning game that you have to utilize your best relievers. It's actually the losing game when guys get tired, a couple guys are down in the bullpen, maybe a couple guys you're trying to stay away from, then you end up using a (C.J.) Edwards or (Koji) Uehara or a guy like that in a losing game. On now the next time you're winning and that guy might be tired or might be down.

"September allows you to manage some of the games you're losing or the games you're winning by a lot. It allows Joe to go to different guys and stay away from the high-leverage relievers."

Entering play Friday, Chicago leads Milwaukee by one game and St. Louis by 1.5 games.

The Cubs host the Blue Jays on Friday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

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