Which 2 players are not going to Toronto?

MILWAUKEE – Adrien Sampson handed the baseball to Chicago Cubs manager David Ross, unhappy with his dismissal.

Sampson retired the first Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth inning and held them in check for most of the time. He allowed one run in the third with three consecutive hits in the middle of the Brewers’ lineup with two outs.

Otherwise, Sampson was trending toward what has become a typical start for the Cubs: keeping his team in the game and giving him a chance to win.

But Ross opted to bring in left-hander Sean Newcomb, who allowed six runs in a 9-7 loss to the Cubs on Sunday.

Ross cited Sampson’s hard hitting balls and traffic on the bases as his motivation to bring in Newcomb. Sampson said he was surprised by the hook at first, then added: “I always try to repeat the same message.” I want to stay there as long as I can, so just accept what’s going on and be ready after five days.”

Sampson’s short outing will benefit the Cubs in their next series. He and left fielder Justin Steele will not travel with the team to Toronto because they do not meet Canada’s COVID-19 vaccination requirements to enter the country. There are similar requirements for returning to the United States.

The Cubs will place Steele and Sampson on the restricted list before the three-game series against the Blue Jays begins Monday at Rogers Center.

After talking with his family and friends, Steele said he decided he didn’t need to get the vaccine. In any case, he said that he does not believe that he will start on Wednesday because the strength of his back will increase.

Steele figures to start as soon as Friday in St. Louis. Ross previously indicated the Cubs would change their rotation after Thursday’s offseason, and Steele was noncommittal about when he would hear the next pitch.

The Cubs are allowed to bring in a fully immunized replacement player for Steele. That player does not need to be on the 40-man roster; Any player named as a substitute due to roster issues related to Covid-19 may return without being selected or assigned to a squad.

Lefty Brandon Minor and righty Jeremiah Estrada were in the visitors’ clubhouse after Sunday’s loss as the Cubs prepared to travel to Toronto. The three-game series will give the Cubs a chance to see Minor and Estrada in the big leagues as 40-man roster decisions come up. Both players must be added to the 40-man roster if the organization wants to protect them from the Rule 5 draft in December.

[ [Don’t miss] Here are 4 Chicago Cubs minor leaguers to watch as the organization nears its 40-man roster decision. ]

Between High-A South Bend and Triple-A Iowa, Estrada has struck out 40.4% of batters, posting a 1.30 ERA this year. Little, the Cubs’ first-round pick in 2017, has a 4.15 ERA in 29 games for Iowa.

Prior to Sunday’s game, Cub Sampson was not expected to replace him on the active roster as he was not scheduled to start in Toronto. Under MLB’s Covid-19 rules, starters who have not been fully vaccinated and are not lined up to start their team’s series in Toronto cannot be substituted on the 26-man roster.

However, the Cubs were able to replace Sampson because he didn’t throw a four-game hitting streak starting Sunday.

Chicago Tribune Sports

Days of the week

A daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.

“I don’t know what the roster rules were,” Sampson said. “I’m not making the trip, which is unfortunate, but moving a day earlier, I wouldn’t have stopped at all. But I want to get the ball. I want to stay there as long as you can. So that’s all my thoughts today.”

Steele and Sampson will return to Chicago and join the team in St. Louis this weekend against the Cardinals. Sampson said his decision not to vaccinate was for personal reasons.

[ [Don’t miss] Brennan Davis overcame ‘devastating’ sciatica and back surgery to continue playing in the Chicago Cubs farm system. ]

“It’s a wait and see as more information comes out, and the season will come and it’s something you want to think of as the end,” Sampson said. “The timing worked out because I was going to play on Sunday (Sunday). If I pitched for the Peaches in Toronto, it would have aggravated the boys. Someone has to carry the burden a little.

“I think people should choose what they want to do and have some respect for each other and not look down on someone because of the decisions they made. But here everyone has been accepting of people’s decisions. That’s good. You don’t feel like they’re trying to single you out.”

Last year, the Cubs were one of the few teams that failed to reach the 85% vaccination rate for players and other field personnel to ease some of the Covid-19 restrictions.

“Time will give everyone a chance to make a decision,” Ross said of the team’s improved vaccination rates. “Information continues to emerge about helping men make the right decisions.

“So yeah, just two guys. You want it to be nobody, but at the end of the day, we believe that everybody makes the decision that’s best for them and gives others a chance.”