Cubs Call Up Luke Little, DFA Veteran Pitcher
The Chicago Cubs have officially called up left-handed pitching prospect Luke Little. The 23-year-old has pitched in three levels in the minor leagues this year and if Little can maintain his dominance in the majors, then there’s a good chance he’ll be in the Cubs bullpen if they end up in the postseason.
To make room on the roster, the Cubs designated right-handed veteran pitcher Shane Greene for assignment. The 34-year-old was called up on Sept. 1, but he only made one appearance with the Cubs.
Sucks for Greene, who was first speculated to be the starting pitcher Friday night against the Cincinnati Reds, but he wasn’t used until he was called on to close out Sunday’s blowout win in Cincinnati. The Cubs signed Greene to a minor league deal back in June.
On the flip side, it’s good to see that no one had to go on the injured list. Cubs manager David Ross said his high-leverage relievers have been running on fumes lately and there was some concern early Wednesday morning that one of those reliable pitchers would go on the injured list.
But for now, Adbert Alzolay, Mark Leiter Jr. and Julian Merryweather are all active. Those guys should be able to get some more rest if Little continues his awesome season.
Luke Little’s 2023 Stats
Overall this season, Little has recorded a 2.12 ERA in 63.2 innings, striking out 105 batters across three levels in the minor leagues. Since his promotion to the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A, Little has posted a 1.54 ERA, with 21 strikeouts in 11.2 innings. He’s given up a total of 8 hits at the Triple-A level.
What’s been even more impressive is that Little has consistently shown the ability to pitch multiple innings while maintaining his effectiveness on the mound. Dating back to July 6, Little has recorded 4+ outs in 10 of 16 appearances. During that period of time, Little has a 1.16 ERA in 23.1 innings, with 46 strikeouts. He only allowed runs in 2 of his 16 outings during the past two months.
The Cubs tested the young pitcher last week at Triple-A, having the left-hander throw in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Little responded well, first recording 1.1 scoreless innings and then getting two outs in his second appearance, getting the win last Thursday.
Little, who was selected in the fourth round of the 2020 draft, is the first player from that year’s 5-player draft class to make it up to the majors for the Cubs.