Chicago Cubs relief prospect Cam Sanders setting himself up for an in-season promotion: ‘He’s been really fun to watch’

Cam Sanders admits he had good and bad thoughts when informed the Chicago Cubs wanted him to transition from starter to reliever after the Triple-A All-Star break last year.

Even now, amid an impressive camp performance in his reliever role, Sanders said he always wants to be a starting pitcher.

“But honestly, anything that gets me in the game, I’m cool with it,” Sanders told the Tribune.

Sanders is positioning himself to get an opportunity in the Cubs bullpen at some point this season. The Cubs are fortunate no team selected him in December’s Rule 5 draft after they did not put him on the 40-man roster to protect him.

The Cubs are still working through their opening-day bullpen options. Multiple spots remain in flux. The team has taken notice of Keegan Thompson’s decreased velocity, sitting in the low 90s. Their go-to multi-inning weapon last season hasn’t been stretched out, limited to an inning in each of ...