Cubs select contract of LHP Brian Matusz from Triple-A Iowa … Option RHP Justin Grimm to Triple-A Iowa
The Cubs made it official Sunday afternoon and selected the contract of LHP Brian Matusz from Triple-A Iowa. Matusz was added to the 40-man roster and called up to start Sunday against the Mariners.
Matusz will wear No. 15.
To make room on the 25-man roster for Brian Matusz, RHP Justin Grimm was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
With Sunday’s roster moves, the Cubs 40-man roster stands at 40 players and the active roster consists of 13 pitchers (six starters, seven relievers) and 12 position players.
Brian Matusz, 29, is 27-41 with a 4.85 ERA (283 earned runs in 525 2/3 innings) and a 1.45 WHIP in 279 Major League appearances, 68 as a starter, covering the last eight seasons with the Baltimore Orioles (2009-16). He made 68-straight starts to begin his Major League career before converting to a reliever midway through the 2012 campaign, going 6-8 with a 3.47 ERA (66 earned runs in 171 innings) in 211 relief outings since the conversion. In his career, he has limited left-handed hitters to a .211 batting average and .269 on-base percentage.
Matusz began the 2016 campaign with the Orioles but was traded to Atlanta on May 23, designated for assignment the next day and released on June 1. He signed a minor league deal with the Cubs on June 15. Matusz made five minor league appearances (four starts) for the Cubs and posted no record with a 1.53 ERA (three earned runs in 17 2/3 innings), including no record and a 1.93 ERA (two earned runs in 9 1/3 innings) in two starts with Triple-A Iowa.
Justin Grimm, 28, has no record and a 4.72 ERA (18 earned runs in 34 1/3 innings) with 1.34 WHIP in 45 relief appearances with the Cubs this season.