DENVER _ The Chicago Cubs took the precautionary route Friday by placing pitchers John Lackey and Hector Rondon on the 15-day disabled list and promoted pitchers Rob Zastryzny and Felix Pena from Triple-A Iowa.
To make room on the 40-man roster, the Cubs transferred pitchers Aaron Brooks and Dallas Beeler from the 15-day DL to the 60-day DL.
With Lackey out, the Cubs adjusted their rotation for their series at San Diego so that Jake Arrieta will take Lackey's spot on Tuesday, followed by Kyle Hendricks.
MRIs performed on Lackey (right shoulder strain) and Rondon (right triceps strain) revealed no abnormalities. However, there was more concern that Rondon could be more vulnerable if he continued to pitch after discomfort flared up 10 days ago.
Lackey was placed on the DL, retroactive to Monday, while Rondon officially was placed on the DL Wednesday.
Zastryzny, 24, becomes the first pitcher drafted under the Theo Epstein regime to make the Cubs' roster. Zastryzny, a second round pick in the 2003 draft, was 7-3 with a 4.33 ERA in 15 appearances at Iowa. Zastrynzy started the season at Double-A Tennessee, where he was 3-2 with a 4.28 ERA in nine starts.
Pena, 26, was 3-4 with a 3.41 ERA in 36 appearances for Iowa. Zastryzny and Pena will be used exclusively as relievers.
Lackey won't get a chance to gain revenge on San Diego catcher Christian Bethancourt after Lackey thought Bethancourt took too much time admiring a home run he hit against him in May.
"How many home runs does he have?" Lackey said after the game. "I got a long memory."
