Steve Drumwright

The Chicago Cubs are going to be adding a little power to their bench when rosters expand Tuesday. Corner infielder B.J. Murray will be called up Tuesday when MLB rosters increase by two spots to 28. Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed the move Monday as Murray took batting practice before the series opener against the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. Only one of the two extra spots can be filled by a pitcher. Murray, who is not among North Side Baseball's Top 20 prospects, had a .294/.395/.500 slash line with 16 homers and 68 RBIs in 118 games with Triple-A Iowa this year. Murray hit 20 homers with 89 RBIs in 2025 at Double-A Knoxville as he had a slash line of .242/.363/.418 in 125 games. The 26-year-old, a 15th-round draft choice in 2021 out of Florida, played in the World Baseball Classic for Great Britain this spring. He will become the 10th player born in the Bahamas to make his MLB debut. View full rumor

The Chicago Cubs are getting their Opening Day closer back at just the right time. Right-handed reliever Daniel Palencia was activated from the 60-injured list by the Cubs on Friday. Infielder Gabriel Arias, who was claimed off waivers from the New York Mets, also officially joined the 26-man roster. To make room for both, infielder Owen Miller was designated for assignment and right-hander Javier Assad was optioned back to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs entered play Friday five games behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers, who have the best record in MLB, and lead the NL wild-card standings. Palencia made his last appearance June 15 and has been out with a mild flexor strain in his right elbow. He has been in 19 games, with a 3.45 FIP (2.70 ERA) over 16⅔ innings. His walk rate is 8.5% and his strikeout rate is 26.8%. Palencia has converted all three of his save chances. The Cubs rank 22nd in MLB with 29 saves. Arias is with his third MLB team this season, having been with the Cleveland Guardians in addition to the Mets before joining the Cubs. He has a .235/.273/.371 slash line with five homers and 11 RBIs in 44 games. Miller was just called up a few days ago but only appeared in one game defensively. Assad is being optioned for the fourth time this year. He has been a vital piece when in the majors, appearing in 22 games, including 10 starts. In 83⅓ innings, he has a 4.97 FIP (3.46 ERA) with a 6.3% walk rate and 16.6% strikeout rate. View full rumor

It was a double dose of bad news for the Chicago Cubs on Monday. Shortstop Dansby Swanson was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left oblique, while right-handed starter Edward Cabrera only lasted one game before going back on the 15-day IL with a blister on his right middle finger. Infielder Owen Miller had his contract selected from Triple-A Iowa, with right-hander Javier Assad and outfielder Kevin Alcantara called up from the I-Cubs. Infielder James Triantos was optioned to Iowa, while right-handed closer Daniel Palencia was transferred from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL in a paperwork move to get Miller on the 40-man roster. Palencia has already spent 60 days on the IL. Swanson could miss the rest of the regular season with the oblique injury. He sustained the injury during a swing in the third inning of Sunday's 11-4 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. It is a huge blow to the Cubs. Swanson is a terrific defender and has contributed 18 homers offensively, even if his slash line sits at a disappointing .216/.300/.404. Cabrera had come off the IL to start Sunday following a strained left hamstring that had kept him out since June 24. He lasted just 3⅔ innings vs. the Cardinals, allowing seven runs on six hits and three walks with two strikeouts. He had the middle finger bandaged after the game. Miller has spent the entire season at Triple-A, putting up a .296/.350/.457 slash line with nine homers and 57 RBIs in 96 games. View full rumor

The only good thing about injuries is that, eventually, a player returns to good health. And so it is with right-hander Edward Cabrera, who was activated off the 15-day injured list and will start Sunday's game for the Chicago Cubs. Right-hander Javier Assad was optioned back to Triple-A Iowa. Cabrera, who will face the St. Louis Cardinals in Sunday's series finale, has been out since June 24 with a strained left hamstring, his second stay on the IL this year following a brief blister issue on his right middle finger a month prior. His first year with the Cubs has not gone swimmingly as he has posted a 5.05 FIP (5.10 ERA) with walk and strikeout rates of 9.4% and 21%, respectively. He was a big offseason addition following a trade with the Miami Marlins, but returns in time for the most crucial part of the regular season after making three minor-league rehab starts. Assad has been a valuable swingman for the pitching staff, able to start or relieve. While bouncing between the majors and Triple-A, Assad has appeared in 21 games, including 10 starts, and put up a 5.09 FIP (3.59 ERA) with a 6.5% walk rate and 16.5% strikeout rate. View full rumor

One of the more coveted arms at the trade deadline hasn't pitched in an MLB game since mid-May. That is not stopping contenders from pursuing New York Mets right-hander Clay Holmes. According to multiple reports, including Ari Alexander of Boston TV station WHDH, the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs and Boston Red Sox are among the chief competitors for the right-handed starter. Holmes has been out since taking a line drive off his right leg, resulting in a fractured right fibula May 15. But Holmes made what was expected to be a final rehab appearance Sunday at High A, pitching 5⅓ innings (73 pitches) and allowing four runs, three earned. He was a bright spot in a dismal Mets season before going down, posting a 3.21 FIP (2.39 ERA) in nine starts and 52⅔ innings, with an 8.4% walk rate and 20.9% strikeout rate. Holmes is being paid $13 million this year (about $3.8 million remaining) and $12 million next year. That plus the number of suitors means Holmes will come at a decent prospect cost. View full rumor

The Chicago Cubs have been dumpster-diving and flipping over couch cushions in a quest to find starting pitchers to fill the void of their latest injury. With the trade deadline rapidly coming at them (Monday, 5 p.m. CT), the Cubs' priority is added multiple pitchers—starters and/or relievers—to give the team the best chance to not only secure a postseason berth, but to make a deep run, The Athletic's Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma reported Saturday. The Cubs entered play Saturday 6½ games out of first place in the NL Central behind the Milwaukee Brewers, but leading the NL wild-card race. Currently, the Cubs have 13 pitchers on the injured list, including six on the 60-day IL. Which of those pitchers come back and how effective they will be is up for debate. Of course, every contending team is looking for pretty much the exact same thing, so the bidding will be stiff for the best arms. The Cubs, according to The Athletic, are still in the mix for Tarik Skubal, the two-time reigning AL Cy Young Award winner from the Detroit Tigers, but more in the second wave of interested teams. The first wave is said to be the Brewers, Los Angeles Dodgers, Tampa Bay Rays and Atlanta. The Cubs could go back to the New York Mets to improve their pitching staff. They acquired left-handed starter David Peterson in late June from the Mets, who are opening to dealing right-handers Freddy Peralta and Clay Holmes. Holmes is scheduled to make a rehab start Sunday as he comes back from a fractured right fibula, although that could potentially be postponed if a deal is near. The Mets scratched Peralta from Friday's start and the Los Angeles Angels did the same with right-hander Jorge Soriano, another trade candidate, Saturday. Possible bullpen adds are San Diego Padres left-hander Adrian Morejob, Mets right-hander Luke Weaver and Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Jeff Hoffman. View full rumor

While interleague play has knocked down a lot of the walls of a player being a better fit for one league over the other, sometimes a player just feels more comfortable in either the AL or NL. Could that be the case for Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Jeff Hoffman? According to a report Saturday by Robert Murray of FanSided, the Chicago Cubs are among the teams interested in the Blue Jays' former closer. The Cubs entered Saturday as the top NL wild-card team. Hoffman finished an MLB-leading 59 games in 2025 with 33 saves, but did have issues down the stretch before becoming more reliable in the Jays' run to the World Series. But this year, those troubles persisted and he lost his role as the closer. He entered Saturday with a 2.46 FIP (4.02 ERA) in 50 appearances and 47 innings. Hoffman has a walk rate of 8.1% and a strikeout rate of 35.2%, both career bests. He has five saves in nine chances, but none since May 23. Hoffman is making $12.667 million this year and next year, but the Blue Jays are willing to move on from him with the team having never really been in contention this season and his erratic performance as a closer. He had success in a setup role in two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies as well as one of his two years with the Cincinnati Reds. He began his MLB career with the Colorado Rockies. View full rumor

The Chicago Cubs are a contender ... for Tarik Skubal. Desperate for starting pitching due to a slew of injuries and poor performances, the Cubs have joined the fray in pursuit of Skubal, the reigning two-time AL Cy Young Award winner for the Detroit Tigers. That is according to a new report Wednesday by Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. Skubal possibly made his last start for the Tigers in a 10-9 loss in 12 innings to the Baltimore Orioles, a game that the Tigers led 7-0 when the big left-hander exited. It left the Tigers with a 51-58 record and 4½ games out of the final AL wild-card spot, although they would have to get past five teams to grab that last berth. The Cubs (61-47), who have 12 pitchers in the injured list, are in second place in the NL Central, three games behind the three-time defending division champion Milwaukee Brewers, but lead the NL wild-card standings 4½ games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies, who are tied. While Skubal would make a difference in the regular season, he would be a bigger presence in the postseason. An obstacle for the Cubs would be the package they could put together compared to the Brewers and Los Angeles Dodgers, just two of the contenders vying for Skubal. Both of those teams have better farm systems, meaning the Cubs might need to give more higher-end prospects to be in the mix, including Northside Baseball's No. 1 and two prospects, Double-A shortstop Jefferson Rojas and High-A outfielder Josiah Hartshorn. The Tigers are also seeking a young MLB-ready pitcher, which the Cubs don't truly possess. Skubal is a free agent after the season and making $32 million this season. View full rumor

With Jameson Taillon now jettisoned and the Chicago Cubs having multiple spots in their starting rotation that need an upgrade, there seems to be a team that they would match up well with. The Seattle Mariners. The Mariners, still in contention in the AL West even after dropping three of four vs. the Texas Rangers following Monday's 7-3 loss, are open to trading at least one of the six starters they have in their rotation. The two who are most available are young right-hander Emerson Hancock and veteran right-hander Luis Castillo. Hancock could be priced higher as he is under club control through 2030 before hitting free agency. Hancock has a 3.73 FIP (3.16 ERA) with a 6.3% walk rate and 23.4% strikeout rate. Castillo, on the other hand, is due a lot of money through next season, about $32.5 million with a vesting option for 2028 at $25 million if he reaches 180 innings in 2027. But the Mariners would be willing to eat some of Castillo's contract in the right deal. Castillo's output has slid from the days when he was an All-Star starter. He has a 4.37 FIP (4.85 ERA) in 19 games, walking 7.2% of hitters and striking out 20.1%. Seattle would be looking for major-league offense in return. One option the Cubs could part with in a deal for pitching would be right fielder Matt Shaw, who is currently on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right wrist but could be close to returning. There would have to be more than Shaw, perhaps a young hitter such as infielder Pedro Ramirez. View full rumor

On a team desperate for starting pitching to remain in the postseason hunt, the Chicago Cubs have decided to cut one of their starters. Right-hander Jameson Taillon was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Monday. Left-hander Andrew Wantz had his contract selected from Triple-A Iowa. Taillon is making $18 million in 2026, the final season of a four-year, $68 million deal. Unless another team claims him off waivers or he is traded, the Cubs will be on the hook for the prorated portion of that $18 million. Taillon has a 6.74 FIP (5.92 ERA) in 15 starts this season, with an 8.3% walk rate and 20.9% strikeout rate. The final straw came in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates in which Taillon was tagged for seven runs in four innings on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts. He allowed 11 runs over 8⅓ innings in his last two starts. The Cubs currently have 12 pitchers on either the 15- or 60-day injured list, including starters Justin Steele, Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown. Wantz was signed to a minor-league deal June 6 after being designated for assignment and choosing to become a free agent instead of being outrighted to Triple-A. He appeared in one game for the Rays, giving up five runs in 1⅔ innings. After signing with the Cubs and reporting to Iowa, Wantz has appeared in seven games, three starts, with a 4.32 ERA over 25 innings, walking 15 and striking out 26. Wantz was originally a seventh-round draft choice by the Los Angeles Angels in 2018 out of North Carolina-Greensboro. View full rumor

There are grandiose and subtle ways to upgrade positions for a contending team. For the Chicago Cubs, who get solid production from their catching tandem of Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya, there could be a player who could increase that output that would be beneficial for a team already in postseason position. One catcher out on the market, per ESPN's Jeff Passan, is Baltimore Orioles backstop Adley Rutschman. Once the darling of the Orioles' rebuild, Rutschman hasn't been the superstar they envisioned. A switch-hitter, Rutschman has a career slash line of .254/.342/.414. He hit 20 and 19 homers in his second and third seasons in the majors, while drawing AL MVP votes in 2022, when he finished second in AL Rookie of the Year balloting, and 2023. But injuries in each of the last two seasons have slowed his production. In 90 games last year, Rutschman slashed .220/.307/.366 with nine homers and 29 RBIs. He has followed that up with a .251/.331/.433 with eight homers and 47 RBIs in 67 games this year before hitting the injured list for the third time this season Monday, this one for inflammation in his left wrist. Still, he represented the Orioles in last week's All-Star Game. That injury will keep him out until at least the weekend of the trade deadline, which is Aug. 3. The Orioles have struggled last year and this year and with Samuel Bassallo in the fold long term after signing an extension this year, making Rutschman not as valuable as he once was. Still an elite defender, Rutschman is also under club control through the 2027 season, so the Orioles won't be looking to dump him for just anything, yet it wouldn't cost the Cubs an arm and a leg (maybe just an arm) to pry him away. View full rumor

One step forward and one step back for the Chicago Cubs' pitching staff. Right-handed starter Jameson Taillon was activated from the 15-day injured list to start for the Cubs in Monday's opener of a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers. Right-hander Aaron Civale was also formally added to the 26-man roster after being designated for assignment by the A's and traded to the Cubs on Saturday. The bad news comes in the form of right-handed reliever Phil Maton going back on the 15-day IL with tendinitis in his right knee. This is his third trip to the IL with the same knee issue. Also, left-hander Drew Pomeranz was designated for assignment. Taillon has been out since going on the IL June 9 with a strained left hamstring. He spent the last two weeks on a rehab assignment. The Cubs' rotation has been besieged by injuries, one reason for the addition of Civale, who had a 5.42 ERA in 16 games for the A's. Entering Monday's start, Taillon has 6.31 FIP (5.19 ERA) with an 8% walk rate and 20.6% strikeout rate. Maton has been a fairly reliable reliever before this season. In addition to the constant knee ailments, he has posted a 5.49 FIP (6.18 ERA) in 31 games and 27⅔ innings. His walk rate (11.8%) and strikeout rate (22.8%) are way down from last year, when he posted marks of 8.9% and 36.7%. Pomeranz was signed to a minor-league contract June 22 after being released by the Los Angeles Angels on June 18. After being called up July 3, Pomeranz had a 9.45 FIP (7.94 ERA) in 5⅔ innings over six appearances. View full rumor

The Chicago Cubs said they would go after pitching in the 2026 MLB Draft and they lived up to their word on Day 1. The Cubs took three college pitchers—Mississippi right-hander Cade Townsend (first round), Nebraska right-hander Carson Jasa (third round) and Northwestern State right-hander Dylan Marionneaux (fourth round)—with their five selections Saturday. They also picked two college hitters in Texas A&M outfielder Cadel Sorrell and Florida State first baseman Myles Bailey. The Bailey pick was a compensation pick after the second round for losing right fielder Kyle Tucker in free agency. Sorrell was a traditional second-round selection. Townsend and Bailey were draft-eligible sophomores and all five Day 1 picks were from college. How will they follow that up Sunday? As a reminder, here are the slot values for the Cubs' selections: First round (23rd pick): $3,947,600 Second round (62nd): $1,487,200 Second round (comp., 75th): $1,120,900 Third round (98th): $800,000 Fourth round (126th): $609,200 Fifth round (159th): $441,300 Sixth round (188th): $344,400 Seventh round (217th): $272,000 Eighth round (247th): $224,100 Ninth round (277th): $204,100 10th round (307th): $193,300 Players drafted in Rounds 11 through 20 have a soft cap of $150,000, with any amount over that counting against the bonus pool. That also goes for undrafted free agents, who will begin signing as soon as the final pick is made Sunday. Draft picks must sign by July 27 at 4 p.m. CT. All of the draft coverage will be carried by MLB.com, MLB.tv and MLB+ beginning at 10:30 a.m. CT. What do you think of the Cubs' draft so far? Do you have a favorite pick? Is there a player they should target on Day 2? View full article