Major League Baseball

Cubs move Wood to bullpen

Published May. 17, 2015 6:48 p.m. ET

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Travis Wood has struggled in his past few starts so the Cubs decided to give him a new role.

At least for the time being, Wood has been moved to the bullpen and on Saturday he notched his first career save as he tossed a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Being bumped from the rotation can be a huge ego blow to some pitchers, but Wood didn't let on about any disappointment as he knows he has some work to do.

“I'm going to do everything I can to pitch the best I can out of there,” Wood told Cubs.com. “It's going to be no different pitching-wise. Maybe it allows me to iron some things out and throw good ball.”

Wood may have gotten the save Saturday, but he's not the Cubs new closer or anything like that. In fact, he doesn't really have a set role and manager Joe Maddon will just use him as he sees fit.

“It depends on who's available that night,” Maddon said. “We've got some really good left-handed pitching out of the bullpen. It's just going to be based on leverage and situation. I'm not afraid of him anywhere. Woody, having been a starter, knows how to get out good right-handed hitters, too.”

That skillset may prove to be a valuable asset to the Cubs bullpen, but it doesn't mean Wood will stay there. Just because Wood is in relief now, doesn't mean he won't rejoin the rotation at a later date.

“[I told him to] just go out there and be aggressive, assertive and let it go for an inning or two,” Maddon said. “I think when he does that, he can be really good. I'm eager to see that. We also talked that this does not preclude the potential for him to become a starter again at some point.”

(h/t Cubs.com)

Photo Credit: David Banks/Getty Images

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