The Chicago Cubs agreed with free-agent reliever Brad Wieck (elbow) on a two-year minor-league deal on Wednesday, according to sources. Wieck missed all of last season due to an elbow strain and underwent Tommy John surgery in July, so he'll likely miss most, if not all, of 2023 as well. In his last year with the Cubs in 2021, the 31-year-old left-hander only tossed 17 innings, allowing no earned runs on 10 hits while walking 10 and striking out 28. In his four major-league seasons with the Cubs and San Diego Padres, he's posted a 3.77 ERA (3.75 FIP), 1.11 WHIP, 89 strikeouts and 24 walks in 59 2/3 relief innings. The Cubs will be hoping Wieck is fully healthy for the 2024 season.

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cubs placed outfielder Jake Marisnick on the 10-day injured list Tuesday and recalled reliever Brad Wieck from Triple-A Iowa. Marisnick is dealing with a right hamstring strain. He got hurt in the first inning of Sunday's 6-5 loss to Pittsburgh. The 30-year-old Marisnick also had trouble with each of his hamstrings last year during the pandemic-shortened season. “A couple weeks it's kind of been a little tight,” Marisnick said Tuesday. “Finally got to the point where I felt it kind of snag there a little bit. It's definitely frustrating, but like I said, to have a full season to be able to fully rehab this thing, get it back to where I need to be, it's going to be good.” The Cubs had shortstop Javier Báez in the starting lineup for the first of two games in Cleveland, but he was scratched with lower back stiffness. Eric Sogard moved from second base to shortstop, and Ildemaro Vargas was inserted at second. Báez also left Saturday's 3-2 victory over the Pirates with... [More]

CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cubs placed outfielder Jake Marisnick on the 10-day injured list Tuesday and recalled reliever Brad Wieck from Triple-A Iowa. Marisnick is dealing with a right hamstring strain. He got hurt in the first inning of Sunday's 6-5 loss to Pittsburgh. The 30-year-old Marisnick is hitting .264 with four homers and 14 RBIs in 27 games in his first season with Chicago. He agreed to a $1.5 million, one-year contract in February. Wieck is beginning his second stint with Chicago this season. The left-hander worked a scoreless inning at Milwaukee on April 12. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Chicago Cubs are concerned about a possible COVID-19 outbreak after two coaches tested positive for the virus and three relievers were placed on the COVID-19-related injured list. The team announced the positive test for bullpen coach Chris Young before its series opener at Milwaukee. First base coach Craig Driver already was away from the team following his positive test. Relievers Brandon Workman, Jason Adam and Dan Winkler were placed on the COVID-19-related injured list on Monday. There was no word on whether their designation was the result of a positive test or contact tracing. Left-handers Justin Steele and Brad Wieck were recalled from the team's alternate site in South Bend, Indiana. Veteran reliever Pedro Strop was selected as a replacement player from the alternate site. Manager David Ross said the team is being “extra cautious” right now. “I think that once you get a positive and what we got with Craig, it’s just on your radar for a while,” he said. “There’s... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Chicago Cubs are concerned about a possible COVID-19 outbreak after two coaches tested positive for the virus and three relievers were placed on the COVID-19-related injured list. The team announced the positive test for bullpen coach Chris Young on Monday, with first base coach Craig Driver already away from the team following his positive test. Relievers Brandon Workman, Jason Adam and Dan Winkler were placed on the COVID-19-related injured list. There was no word on whether their designation was the result of a positive test or contact tracing. Despite the issues, manager David Ross said Monday night's series opener at Milwaukee isn’t in jeopardy of being postponed. “Everyone has tested today that is here and is negative,” he said. Left-handers Justin Steele and Brad Wieck were recalled from the team's alternate site in South Bend, Indiana. Veteran reliever Pedro Strop was selected as a replacement player from the alternate site. All three players were expected to... [More]

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The Chicago Cubs are concerned about a possible COVID-19 outbreak after two coaches tested positive for the virus and three relievers were placed on the COVID-19-related injured list. The team announced the positive test for bullpen coach Chris Young on Monday, with first base coach Craig Driver already away from the team following his positive test. Relievers Brandon Workman, Jason Adam and Dan Winkler were placed on the COVID-19-related injured list. There was no word on whether their designation was the result of a positive test or contact tracing. Despite the issues, manager David Ross said Monday night's series opener at Milwaukee isn’t in jeopardy of being postponed. “Everyone has tested today that is here and is negative,” he said. Left-handers Justin Steele and Brad Wieck were recalled from the team's alternate site in South Bend, Indiana. Veteran reliever Pedro Strop was selected as a replacement player from the alternate site. All three players were expected to... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — David Bote has won the second-base job with the Chicago Cubs, and Trevor Williams and Adbert Alzolay will round out the team's pitching rotation at the beginning of the season. The Cubs cleared the way for Bote when they optioned infielder Nico Hoerner to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday. Bote, Hoerner and Eric Sogard had been in the mix at second, and manager David Ross said Bote was the choice. Bote, who turns 28 on April 7, batted .200 with seven homers and 29 RBIs during the pandemic-shortened season last year. He was selected by Chicago in the 18th round of the 2012 amateur draft. The 34-year-old Sogard is in camp on a minor league deal, but the team has told Major League Baseball he will be added to the big league roster. The Cubs also optioned reliever Brad Wieck to Iowa and released veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin. Right-handers Shelby Miller, Pedro Strop and Trevor Megill were assigned to minor league camp, along with outfielder Rafael Ortega. Miller, Strop, Megill... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — The Chicago Cubs optioned infielder Nico Hoerner and reliever Brad Wieck to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday. Veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin was released, and right-handers Shelby Miller, Pedro Strop and Trevor Megill were assigned to minor league camp, along with outfielder Rafael Ortega. Miller, Strop, Megill and Ortega were nonroster invitees to big league spring training. Hoerner, a first-round pick in the 2018 amateur draft out of Stanford, was in the mix for the starting job at second base. He had a strong spring, batting .361 with a homer and six RBIs. The move likely means David Bote or Eric Sogard will be the opening-day second baseman Thursday against Pittsburgh. The 34-year-old Sogard is in camp on a minor league deal, but the team has told Major League Baseball he will be added to the big league roster. The Cubs could delay Hoerner's eligibility for salary arbitration until after the 2023 season if they keep him in the minors for 30 to 50 days, unless there are changes in the next collective bargaining agreement. He batted .222 with no homers and 13 RBIs last year during the pandemic-shortened season. The 30-year-old Miller had pushed for a spot on Chicago's staff, either as a starter or a swingman out of the bullpen. He allowed one earned run in nine innings this spring, striking out 12. The moves reduced the Cubs' spring roster to 31 players. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant got an injection Tuesday for his ailing left wrist, sidelining the slugger for at least two days.Manager David Ross said Bryant also saw a specialist for the injury. The Cubs are off Thursday, so the earliest the 2016 NL MVP could return to the lineup is Friday against the crosstown White Sox.“The hope is that he would be back Friday, but there's no way of knowing that until we have those conversations and he picks up a bat and swings and tests it and all those things,” Ross said.The Cubs also placed outfielder Steven Souza Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Infielder Hernán Pérez was promoted from the team's alternate training site in South Bend, Indiana, and left-hander Brad Wieck was transferred to the 45-day IL.Bryant tweaked his wrist on a diving attempt on César Hernández's flare to left field in the fifth inning of a 7-2 victory at Cleveland last week. He stayed in the game and homered in the sixth, but he sat... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant got an injection Tuesday for his ailing left wrist, sidelining the slugger for at least two days.Manager David Ross said Bryant also saw a specialist for the injury. The Cubs are off Thursday, so the earliest the 2016 NL MVP could return to the lineup is Friday against the crosstown White Sox.“The hope is that he would be back Friday, but there's no way of knowing that until we have those conversations and he picks up a bat and swings and tests it and all those things,” Ross said.The Cubs also placed outfielder Steven Souza Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Infielder Hernán Pérez was promoted from the team's alternate training site in South Bend, Indiana, and left-hander Brad Wieck was transferred to the 45-day IL.Bryant tweaked his wrist on a diving attempt on César Hernández's flare to left field in the fifth inning of a 7-2 victory at Cleveland last week. He stayed in the game and homered in the sixth, but he sat... [More]

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Chicago Cubs reliever Brad Wieck had surgery this week for an abnormal heart flutter and is out indefinitely. The team said Thursday an irregular heartbeat was discovered during the 28-year-old left-hander’s spring training physical. Subsequent tests showed an intermittent atrial flutter. Wieck underwent a cardiac ablation at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago on Monday and returned to Arizona two days later. The Cubs said Wieck will “rest and rehab for the next week” and be re-evaluated then to determine when he can resume throwing. Wieck had a 5.71 ERA over 44 appearances for San Diego and Chicago last season. He had a 3.60 ERA in 14 games with the Cubs. ___ More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports