The Chicago Cubs made a pair of roster moves the day after returning from a journey halfway around the globe.

The team announced on Thursday that they had optioned left-handed pitcher Jordan Wicks and right-handed pitcher Eli Morgan to Triple-A Iowa. That leaves the Cubs with 24 players on their 26-man roster ahead of Thursday’s domestic opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, although the Cubs had to clear two roster spots to put Jameson Taillon and Matthew Boyd back on it. They were not on the active roster for the two-game Tokyo Series after pitching in the last exhibition game against the Yomiuri Giants.

The decision to option Morgan might seem a bit surprising — he had a 1.93 ERA in 42 big-league innings last year with Cleveland and pitched a scoreless 1.1 innings on Opening Day against the Los Angeles Dodgers. But Morgan is one of the few relievers on the active roster with minor-league options remaining and as they look to finalize their roster for the rest of the season the decision to send him down made the most sense.

They’ll still have to make some more roster decisions before Thursday, too. Nico Hoerner did not travel to Japan as he continues to recover from offseason flexor tendon surgery. He stayed in Arizona to play in minor-league games and could be activated for the series opener against the Diamondbacks.

Of course, that would mean the Cubs would have to clear a roster spot on the position side, too. The Cubs bench currently has no players with minor-league options – Gage Workman is a Rule 5 pick and would have to be offered back to Detroit before he could be sent down.

[MORE: Cubs hope MLB Tokyo Series will help further grow their Japan presence]

On the pitching side, non-roster invitee Brad Keller traveled with the team to Japan but did not pitch in the four games and was not active for the Tokyo Series. He has an opt-out in his minor-league deal and would almost certainly exercise it if he isn’t added to the 26-man roster. The Cubs would have to make a 40-man roster move to add Keller, though and would almost certainly send Ben Brown to Iowa in that situation because he has minor-league options and to keep him stretched out as a starter.

Wicks’ inclusion in the Tokyo Series wasn’t too much of a surprise – the team wanted to carry pitchers who could provide length if needed since pitchers weren’t fully stretched out. He also provided a lefty option for manager Craig Counsell, who only has Caleb Thielbar in that department now.