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Mark Leiter Jr.

Cubs Notes: Madrigal, Wesneski, Leiter Jr.

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Cubs infielder Nick Madrigal has only played second base in his big league career thus far, but he’s not likely to see a lot of time there this year. The club’s major investment this offseason was signing shortstop Dansby Swanson, thus pushing Nico Hoerner over to second base. That nudged Madrigal into a competition for time at third base this spring, one in which he seems to have held himself well.

“He’s got to hit,” manager David Ross tells Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. “He still has to perform. That goes for just about everybody. He has missed a lot of time, but he looks really good and his timing looks good. We’ll see how camp plays out, but I definitely think he’s answered questions at third base. There’s no hesitation to put him in there.”

For his part, Madrigal also feels good about how things are going. “I’m focused one day at a time,” Madrigal said. “I’m feeling really good at the plate. Defensively, I feel like it’s all coming together. My body’s in a completely different spot this year compared to last year. I’m just looking forward to what’s ahead.”

Madrigal was hitting .305/.349/.425 for the White Sox in 2021 when a significant hamstring injury ended his campaign. Nonetheless, the Cubs acquired him in the Craig Kimbrel trade at that year’s deadline. Unfortunately, injuries hampered him yet again in 2022, as he made multiple trips to the IL and hit just .249/.305/.282. As noted by Ross, Madrigal will have to hit to hold onto that third base job, but it sounds like the club is fine with him from a defensive standpoint. Should he struggle at the plate, he’ll likely be fending off challenges from players like Christopher Morel, Zach McKinstry and Miles Mastrobuoni. Patrick Wisdom could also be a factor, though he might be getting some more time in the outfield corners with Seiya Suzuki set to begin the season on the IL.

More news out of Cubs camp…

  • The Cubs will also be deciding who their fifth starter is, with Marcus Stroman, Jameson Taillon, Drew Smyly and Justin Steele taking the first four spots. It’s viewed by many to be a race between Hayden Wesneski and Adrian Sampson, but Mooney reports that Wesneski is pulling away right now. Sampson, 31, had a nice season for the Cubs in 2022, posting a 3.11 ERA in 104 1/3 innings. However, he’s struggled badly so far this spring, giving up eight home runs in 8 1/3 innings, leading to a 14.04 ERA. Wesneski, 25, has been much better, throwing 8 2/3 scoreless frames with 11 strikeouts. Spring stats tend not to mean too much in the grand scheme of things, but it could be enough to push Wesneski ahead in this case. He also has the higher upside of the two, given he’s younger, has six remaining years of club control and is generally considered one of the club’s top prospects.
  • Another decision the Cubs will have to make is whether or not to give right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. a roster spot. Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports that Leiter has an opt-out in his contract that would allow him to return to free agency if he’s not added by March 30, which also happens to be Opening Day. The righty has a solid season for the Cubs last year, tossing 67 2/3 innings over 35 appearances with a 3.99 ERA. However, he exhausted his final option year and had reduced roster flexibility, perhaps contributing to getting outrighted off the roster in January. He elected free agency but returned to the Cubs on a minor league deal.

Cubs Sign Mark Leiter Jr. To Minor League Deal

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The Cubs have signed right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. to a minor league deal, reports Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. Leiter will be in major league camp competing for a spot on the roster.

Leiter, 32 in March, is coming off a strong campaign where he served as an optional depth arm for the Cubs. He made four starts and 31 relief appearances, tallying 67 2/3 innings with a 3.99 ERA. He struck out 25.9% of batters faced while walking 8.9% and getting grounders at a 48.9% clip. He also made six Triple-A starts, posting a 5.32 ERA despite a 34% strikeout rate and 6.4% walk rate. His batting average on balls in play was .333 in the minors versus .251 in the majors and his strand rate was also higher in the show.

That was a generally solid showing but Leiter got nudged off the roster in January when the club added Eric Hosmer. Leiter went unclaimed on waivers and was eligible to elect free agency by virtue of having had a previous career outright. After just over a week on the open market, Leiter is now a Cub again, though without a spot on the roster.

He’ll head to spring and try to earn his way back onto the 40-man, though he’ll have less roster flexibility if he succeeds. He’s now out of options, preventing the club from freely shuffling him to the farm and back, which they did four times last year.

The Cubs’ bullpen chart will likely be topped by Brandon Hughes and Brad Boxberger, followed by names like Adbert Alzolay, Rowan Wick, Julian Merryweather and Michael Rucker. Leiter will be competing with other non-roster invitees like Vinny Nittoli, Tyler Duffey and Eric Stout for a job in that mix. If he succeeds in getting back on the team, he can be cheaply retained for further seasons as he has just over two years of service time and has yet to qualify for arbitration.

Mark Leiter Jr. Elects Free Agency

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Right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. has elected free agency, according to his transactions tracker at MLB.com. He had been designated for assignment and outrighted by the Cubs in recent days but had the right to reject the assignment by virtue of having been previously outrighted in his career.

Leiter, 32 in March, got some time in the majors in 2017 and 2018 with the Phillies and Blue Jays. He struggled in those seasons and was outrighted by the Blue Jays after the latter campaign. That proved to be an inopportune moment to lose his roster spot as he required Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2019. He then had to undergo the lengthy rehab process while not accruing any service time.

The Cubs signed him to a minor league deal prior to the 2022 campaign and he ended up having a pretty decent season after cracking the roster in April. He tossed 67 2/3 innings in the big leagues with a 3.99 ERA. He struck out 25.9% of the batters that came to the plate, walked 8.9% of them and got grounders on 48.9% of balls in play.

Despite those good results, he got squeezed off the roster, perhaps due to the fact that he burned his final option year in 2022. That means he would have to hang onto his spot all season long or else be designated for assignment, which the Cubs got out of the way early. All players who have a previous career outright have the right to reject outright assignments in favor of free agency, which Leiter has now done. None of the other 29 teams were willing to claim him off waivers, which suggests he’ll likely be limited to minor league deals. However, he can at least now seek out the organization that he thinks provides the best path back to the big leagues or is the best fit for some other reason. If he earns a roster spot at some point, he can be retained by a club for future seasons since he has between two and three years of MLB service time.

Cubs Outright Mark Leiter Jr.

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Cubs right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. has gone unclaimed on outright waivers, tweets Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune. He’d been designated for assignment last week once Chicago finalized their one-year deal with Eric Hosmer.

Leiter, 32 in March, signed a minor league contract with Chicago last offseason. He cracked the big league roster by the second week of the season. Leiter held his spot on the 40-man all year and bounced a few times between Wrigleyville and Triple-A Iowa. Working primarily as a long relief option in the majors, he tossed 67 2/3 frames through 35 outings (including four starts). Leiter put together a decent 3.99 ERA with better than average strikeout and ground-ball marks (25.9% and 48.9%, respectively).

Despite that generally solid work, he was squeezed off the roster this winter. That’s presumably a result of some skepticism around the league that Leiter could maintain his 2022 form, as he carried a 5.53 ERA in 114 career major league innings headed into last year. He didn’t appear at the highest level at all between 2019-21 thanks to an intervening Tommy John surgery.

Leiter was previously outrighted by the Blue Jays back during the 2018-19 offseason. Clearing waivers a second time in his career gives him the right to elect minor league free agency instead of accepting an assignment to Iowa. The Cubs haven’t yet announced whether he’ll do so.

Cubs Designate Mark Leiter Jr. For Assignment

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The Cubs announced Friday that right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to first baseman Eric Hosmer, whose one-year contract is now official.

Leiter, 32 in March, was drafted by the Phillies in 2013 and made his way up to the majors by 2017. He got into 47 games over the 2017 and 2018 seasons, mostly with Philly but also a brief stint with the Blue Jays after a waiver claim. He posted a 5.53 ERA over that two-year stretch with a subpar 20.5% strikeout rate but a strong 48.2% ground ball rate.

He was outrighted off the Jays’ roster and then required Tommy John surgery in the spring of 2019, which put him on the shelf for a while. He pitched well in the minor leagues of the Tigers’ system in 2021 but didn’t get called up to the big leagues. A minor league deal with the Cubs allowed him to return to the majors last season. He spent the year being shuttled to Triple-A and back, posting a solid 3.99 ERA over 67 2/3 innings with the Cubs, striking out 25.9% of batters faced, walking 8.9% of them and getting grounders on 48.9% of balls in play.

Despite those solid results last year, there are reasons the Cubs are moving on. Leiter’s earned runs were likely kept down somewhat by a .251 batting average on balls in play, almost 40 points below league average. He’s also now out of options, giving him less value from a roster maneuverability perspective. However, if some club is intrigued enough to give Leiter a roster spot, he’ll come with some cheap control since he has just over two years of MLB service time.

Cubs Select Steven Brault, Designate Matt Swarmer For Assignment

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The Cubs selected the contract of Steven Brault prior to today’s ballgame, tweets Mark Gonzales. In corresponding moves, Mark Leiter Jr. was optioned to Triple-A and Matt Swarmer was designated for assignment. Anderson Espinoza, meanwhile, is serving as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader.

Brault appeared in the Majors with the Pirates in each of the past six seasons going back to 2016. He owns a 4.77 career ERA/4.67 FIP across 343 1/3 innings. He has served primarily as a starter, but he is no stranger to coming out of the bullpen either.

The 28-year-old Swarmer had some real ups and downs in his short time on the Cubs’ roster. In five starts and six relief appearances, Swarmer posted a 5.03 ERA/7.35 FIP over 34 innings. After giving up just one earned run in each of his first two starts, Swarmer was tagged with six home runs in his third start of the season against the Yankees.

Leiter Jr. is no stranger to the road between Chicago and Iowa. The 31-year-old has logged 38 2/3 innings with the Cubs with a 5.35 ERA/5.00 FIP. He has logged 19 innings in Triple-A over five starts with a 6.16 ERA.

Cubs Select Caleb Kilian, Option Mark Leiter Jr., DFA Conner Menez

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The Cubs have officially selected the contract of Caleb Kilian while making a number of other roster moves to accommodate his arrival and prepare for today’s doubleheader against the Cardinals. Mark Leiter Jr. was optioned to Triple-A and Conner Menez was designated for assignment, per MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (via Twitter). Anderson Espinoza was also brought aboard to serve as the 27th man for today’s twin bill.

The news of Kilian’s promotion first came across the wire yesterday. His performance will carry more consequence to Cubs’ fans than a normal prospect because of his status as the trade return for Kris Bryant, the one-time face-of-the-franchise. Whether or not it makes sense to put that burden on Kilian, the optics of Kilian’s progress are likely to serve as a touch point for judging the effectiveness of President of Baseball Ops Jed Hoyer’s rebuilding efforts. He’s not the only one, but because Kilian was one of only two pitching prospects returned in the deals for Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Yu Darvish, and Javier Baez, his importance among the group of acquired prospects is somewhat bloated.

Leiter Jr., 31, has been up and down this season as both a starter and reliever. He has been a tad generous with free passes with a 9-to-16 walk-to-strikeout ratio over 17 1/3 innings in the bigs. Though a 4.53 FIP suggests he can be a serviceable arm, the bottom-line results have not been there, as he has racked up a 6.23 ERA.

Menez, 27, was designated for assignment to clear a space on the 40-man roster. He made just one appearance for the Cubs, tossing a scoreless inning. The southpaw has logged 17 1/3 innings in Triple-A, however, with a 2.08 ERA. Claimed off waivers from the Giants this past December, Menez will again be exposed to open waivers.

Espinoza, meanwhile, made his Major League debut just a couple of days ago, tossing four innings against the Brewers, giving up two earned runs on two hits and three walks while striking out six.

Cubs Place Wade Miley On 15-Day Injured List

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The Cubs have placed left-hander Wade Miley on the 15-day injured list due to a left shoulder strain, the team announced.  Mark Leiter Jr. was called up from Triple-A to take Miley’s place on the active roster.

Miley was supposed to start yesterday’s game against the White Sox, but was held back to shoulder soreness.  Both Miley and the Cubs held out the possibility that Miley would be able to return to the mound as early as Monday, but clearly something was still amiss following the bullpen and long-toss sessions that Miley was scheduled to throw today.

This is already the second IL stint of the year for Miley, who didn’t make his first start of the season until May 10 due to some elbow inflammation that developed during Spring Training.  When he has been able to pitch, Miley has been quite effective, posting a 3.38 ERA in 16 innings over three starts.

Leiter has made three starts for Chicago already this season, and is likely the short-term fill-in for a start on Monday when the Cubs host the Brewers for a doubleheader.  Going forward, Keegan Thompson is the most probable candidate to take Miley’s spot in the rotation, as Thompson’s transition from long reliever to proper starting pitcher has thus far been very successful.  Thompson has an outstanding 1.58 ERA over 40 innings in 2022, which breaks down as a 1.38 ERA in 26 relief frames and a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings as a starter.

Cubs Activate David Robertson From Injured List

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The Cubs announced that right-hander David Robertson has been activated from the injured list.  In corresponding moves, righty Mark Leiter Jr. was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to open a spot for Robertson on the active roster, and a 40-man spot was created when outfielder Michael Hermosillo was moved from the 10-day injured list to the COVID-related injury list, as no designation was given for Hermosillo’s new assignment.

While the Cubs have a long list of injured players in general, Hermosillo joins Jason Heyward and Marcus Stroman as players sidelined without a specific reason, thus indicating an issue related to COVID-19.  Robertson was also the non-designated list, and he’ll return to action after being sidelined on May 9.

After signing a one-year, $3MM deal with Chicago in March, Robertson has looked terrific in the early going, posting a 1.50 ERA over 12 innings for the Wrigleyville nine.  The 37-year-old pitched only 18 2/3 MLB innings total in 2019-21 (largely due to Tommy John surgery rehab), but Robertson has thus far showed some flashes of his old dominance as a reliable shutdown arm with the Yankees and White Sox.

Hermosillo had been on the 10-day IL with a left quad strain, with a retroactive May 8 placement.  The outfielder has seen some starting duty in center field (spelling Heyward when a lefty is on the mound) and has otherwise been used as a backup at all three outfield positions.  While Hermosillo hasn’t hit much over parts of five MLB seasons, he has particularly struggled at the plate thus far in 2022, with only two hits and a .364 OPS to show for 35 plate appearances.

Roster Notes: Rangers, Cubs, Pirates

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The Rangers announced a pair of interlocking roster moves today, optioning Spencer Howard to Triple-A and recalling outfielder Zach Reks. Howard has been shelled in 6 2/3 innings of work this season, working to a 12.15 ERA, but the demotion is reportedly more about building him up as a “full-fledged” starter, per Jeff Wilson of Rangerstoday.com (via Twitter). Whatever the reason for the move, the Rangers will surely want to see a more productive couple of appearances in Triple-A out of Howard.

Reks, meanwhile, steps right into the starting lineup, starting today’s ballgame in left field. It will be Reks first appearance with the Rangers after being acquired from the Dodgers this past November. In other roster moves…

  • The Cubs have optioned Mark Leiter Jr. to Triple-A, activating Locke St. John in his place, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Leiter Jr. appeared in four games for the Cubs, starting three, but yielding nine earned runs over 10 1/3 innings. St. John, meanwhile, was recently added to the 40-man roster to satisfy a condition of the minor league contract he signed over the winter. For now, he’ll join Daniel Norris and Sean Newcomb in a full Chicago bullpen.
  • The Pirates have reinstated Cole Tucker from the COVID Injured List and optioned Tucupita Marcano to Double-A in order to give the infielder regular playing time, per Kevin Gorman of Tribune-Review Sports (via Twitter). Marcano, still just 22, was promoted to fill the void in the short-term. He was the key piece in last season’s trade that sent Adam Frazier to the Padres.
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