A familiar face returns to the Cubs bullpen.
The team recalls Keegan Thompson from Triple-A Iowa and places reliever Julian Merryweather on the 10-day IL because of right knee tendonitis.
Merryweather had three consecutive scoreless outings before running into trouble in his latest appearance on Sunday in Miami. The 31-year-old allowed four runs on five hits in Sunday’s 7-2 loss to the Marlins.
The right-hander missed the game for over 3 months due to a broken rib. It was a major blow to the Cubs bullpen – he was a key member of their relief corps in 2023, posting a 3.38 ERA with 98 strikeouts, 17 holds and 2 saves in 69 appearances. The injury came at a time when Adbert Alzolay was struggling in the closer role and the Cubs bullpen was struggling to find its footing.
The team had to promote traditional setup man Héctor Neris to the closer’s role, a position he struggled in. Merryweather returned late last month but had ups and downs for most of it. In 11 games, he had 6 scoreless appearances but allowed 10 runs in the other 5 games, for an ERA of 8.71.
Thompson, 29, landed on the IL in late June with a fractured right rib. He was taken off the IL in July and immediately sent to Iowa. Since his injury, he has been in top form at the Triple-A level.
In 10 appearances following his injury, Thompson has a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings with 18 strikeouts and 3 walks. Thompson has a 3.50 ERA in 13 games in the Major Leagues this season.
