For a while, the visitor’s clubhouse at American Family Field was always a place of sour memories for Ethan Roberts.

On April 29, 2022, Roberts walked off the mound during the Cubs’ 11-1 loss to the Brewers in pain — and he knew it wasn’t just ordinary pain a pitcher feels after an outing.

“I knew that once I came off that field the last time I was here, I was cooked,” Roberts said. “My shoulder was just [done].”

A few days after that outing in Milwaukee, Roberts was placed on the 10-day IL with right shoulder inflammation.

What followed was a long — albeit unexpected — and arduous journey.

Roberts was transferred to the 60-day IL and in mid-June that year, began a rehab assignment with the Iowa Cubs. He threw just 4 pitches before suffering pain in his elbow. He eventually required Tommy John surgery.

Last season, he spent the entire year on the 60-day IL and resorted to celebrating recovery milestones instead of saves, wins or strikeouts. Roberts spent most of his time in Arizona, at the Cubs complex. He was a big leaguer, but as far away from the big-league team as one can be.

“Going to Arizona, you see the same four walls every day,” Roberts said. “Physically and mentally, it’s tough.”

But in that time he built a special connection with the Cubs’ training staff, the two sides getting to know each other more and more throughout the process and building a bond that assured Roberts his lasting memory in the big leagues wouldn’t be one of frustration.

The game of baseball, though, has another side to it — the business side — that can often separate the human element. So, last offseason, with the Cubs facing a 40-man crunch, they opted to non-tender Roberts, sending him into baseball’s version of no-man’s land: without a team, needing a medical group to aid in his recovery and no guarantees of what his playing career would look like.

Luckily, for Roberts, the Cubs didn’t want to lose him and the two sides worked on a minor-league deal that brought him back, one that included an opt-out in mid-June.

“And the biggest thing that kept me coming back, the first time, was I had been with these trainers all year,” Roberts said. “And they knew me as a player, they knew me as a person. That was easy. That was one of the things that kept me coming back in December.”

This spring, Roberts felt closer to who he had been when he made the Cubs’ roster out of Spring Training in 2022. He was healthy, throwing well and with a team and organization that he cared for and loved.

The righty was never going to make the team out of camp this year — it was still too early in his recovery — but he knew he could pitch in game action again this season. That came in May when he pitched a perfect inning in the Arizona Complex League. He made another appearance with Double-A Tennessee before joining Triple-A Iowa on May 19.

The results were eye-popping.

A guy who hadn’t pitched in a competitive game in over 2 years threw 13.1 scoreless innings across 12 games at the highest minor league level. As his mid-June opt-out date grew closer, though, Roberts began to feel some tension.

“I was more nervous leading up to my out than I was about getting a call [to the big leagues],” he said.

That’s because Roberts didn’t want to leave — a 2018 4th-round pick by the Cubs, he only knew one team, one place. He had grown special bonds with plenty of teammates and believed there was still plenty the team could accomplish.

“I know that there’s something special to be done here, very soon, as soon as things start clicking and I want to be a part of it,” Roberts said. “I’m excited to see all these guys I played with for five years. And I didn’t want to do it from the other side of the dugout.”

The Cubs relief corps has been decimated by injury all season. As the injuries piled up, the performances struggled and Roberts continued putting up zeroes, it seemed a matter of when and not if he would join the team.

He got his wish a couple of weeks ago. Roberts’ phone rang near the date of his opt-out and on the other line was assistant general manager Jared Banner, letting him know the Cubs were selecting him to their 40-man roster.

He was going to stay a Cub.

“I was excited,” Roberts said. “Super pumped. Because I didn’t wanna leave, bro. This is all I know. And I know that I can contribute and I’m excited for it.”

Almost two weeks later, Roberts was informed he was joining the big-league team and would be heading to — of all places — Milwaukee to help out the big-league club.

“It’s awesome,” Roberts said with a chuckle. “My wife said the same thing. She was like, ‘That’s the last place you pitched, ain’t it?’”

In that clubhouse in 2022, Roberts shared a bullpen with veterans like David Robertson, Mychal Givens and Jesse Chavez. Chavez, a 17-year-veteran, especially, showed Roberts the ropes and what it takes to thrive in a major-league bullpen.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re an 8th inning guy and in a tight game or if you’re a guy that comes in after a starter to chew up 3 innings, everything matters,” Roberts said. “And the sooner you understand that, the sooner you can work toward the role that you want.”

That’s exactly where Roberts finds himself now. He’s ready to do any role in the bullpen, so long as it’s helping the squad — and he’s delivering.

Roberts has pitched 2 scoreless innings in his first 2 outings. It hasn’t been perfect — he’s allowed a pair of hits and 2 walks — but it’s a step in the right direction. And, as manager Craig Counsell looks to find reliable arms to use in leverage situations, stacking solid outing after solid outing can lead to those opportunities.

“That was one of the big things with him was like just know your role and completely dominate the role that they give you,” he said. “Even if you don’t like it, change it. And you have to pitch well to change it.”

Now, Roberts’ memories of the clubhouse at American Family Field won’t be of frustration or what-ifs. Instead, he’s hoping, it’s the place where he can take off and show what he can be for the team he wanted to be a part of.

“You just gotta trust that God’s plans in place,” he said. “You gotta trust that they see what you think you can show them and what you have shown them. And I’m just glad it worked out for sure. It’s exciting.”