Did Ryan Rolison Do Enough for a Higher-Leverage Look in 2027?

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Considering the injuries and the struggles that permeated the entire group, there weren't a whole lot of success stories in the Chicago Cubs' 2026 bullpen. Ryan Rolison, at least, qualifies.

Rolison was originally a draft pick by the Colorado Rockies who had the early part of his professional career derailed by injury and the latter portion consumed by struggles, the latter even upon his conversion to full-time relief. He changed hands three times over the offseason, ping-ponging from Colorado to Atlanta to the South Side before the Cubs claimed him on waivers in January. While a good spring had him on track to appear at some point in 2026, he didn't break camp with the team.

By mid-April, though, Rolison was in the mix. That ended up being a permanent arrangement, as he went on to log 63 innings across 60 appearances. He posted a very steady 3.14 ERA and a 3.93 FIP. It wasn't perfect—there was the occasional clunker, and his walk rate sat a shade below 11%—but Rolison gave the Cubs at least 10 innings of relief work each month following his April arrival.

A number of interesting things unfolded as Rolison adjusted to the Cubs organization. Perhaps most notable is how his usage shifted throughout the year. In his first month, he was primarily four-seamer, curveball, and slider. As the season transpired, the final month saw him become much more sinker-forward, with the four-seam and sweeper serving as his next two most frequently-used pitches.

Notably, that evolution occurred primarily against left-handed hitters, against whom Rolison was wildly successful. He faced 123 left-handed batters, and they batted just .162/.230/.189. He remained primarily four-seam/curveball against righties, though with success that didn't nearly match that of his work against left-handed batters. By September, the sinker and sweeper did each come into play against righties, and it'll be interesting to see how that manifests next year—especially if the Cubs intend to allow Rolison to factor into higher-leverage situations.

In 2026, Rolison made 24 appearances (13 1/3 innings) in situations deemed to be high-leverage, and posted a 5.40 ERA. That ERA is a bit deceptive, however. The majority of the runs he allowed in those situations came in the first half, before he seemed to settle into that role more comfortably. He got out righties in those spots late in the year, as well as lefties. That could be telling for Rolison's usage next season.

The sinker was Rolison's highest-rated pitch by Stuff+, at 113. If it's his intent to utilize that pitch above all others (while allowing the sweeper and other secondary stuff to work off it), there's a very effective reliever in there under team control for another three seasons.

Of course, we've only seen a glimpse of him as a trusted arm. That only about 13 of Rolison's 63 innings came in high-leverage situations means he's only passed the first of several tests as a back-end arm. As the team works to fill out their staff for next season, it seems entirely reasonable that this continually-evolving version of Rolison could be destined for higher leverage next season, given the groundwork that was laid in 2026.