Phillies' Michael Rucker: Shelved with hand injury
Rotowire
The Phillies placed Rucker on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a right hand arterial vasospasm.
More specifically, Rucker's right middle finger had been bothering him in spring training, as he didn't make any Grapefruit League appearances after March 1. Per MLB.com, Rucker isn't dealing with any sort of nerve issue or thoracic outlet syndrome even though he experienced numbness in the finger, but it's unclear when he might be ready to make his season debut.
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Phillies' Michael Rucker: Sidelined by finger injury
Rotowire
Rucker hasn't made a Grapefruit League appearance since March 1 due to numbness in his right middle finger, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
The reliever has traveled back to Philadelphia in order to have his finger examined. A stint on the injured list to begin the season would certainly appear to be possible, but more will be known after he's evaluated further.
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Phillies' Michael Rucker: Shipped to Philadelphia
Rotowire
The Phillies acquired Rucker from the Cubs on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations.
Rucker had been designated for assignment and has now landed in a new organization. The 29-year-old reliever has collected a 4.96 ERA and 120:50 K:BB over 123.1 innings out of the Cubs' bullpen covering the last three seasons. He'll compete for a middle-relief gig.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Exits 40-man roster
Rotowire
Rucker was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Thursday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
The 29-year-old reliever loses his spot on the 40-man roster in favor Hector Neris, whose signing became official. Rucker has put up a 4.96 ERA and 120:50 K:BB covering 123.1 innings out of the Cubs' bullpen over the last three seasons.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Optioned to Iowa
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Rucker to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Keegan Thompson is up to replace him in Chicago's bullpen ahead of Thursday's series opener versus the Pirates. Rucker, 29, has registered a 4.91 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 40:19 K:BB over 40.1 innings of relief this year in the majors.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs recalled Rucker from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Rucker will return to the Cubs' bullpen mix ahead of Tuesday night's game against the White Sox. The 29-year-old right-hander has posted a 5.03 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 39:17 K:BB across 39.1 major-league innings this season.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Optioned to Iowa
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Rucker to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Rucker has taken a notable step back from his 2022 campaign, accumulating a 5.17 ERA and 1.46 WHIP through 38.1 innings out of the bullpen. He could return to Chicago if he shows signs of improvement in the minors, but for now Hayden Wesneski will come up from Triple-A to take his spot on the staff.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Snags win in relief Wednesday
Rotowire
Rucker (2-1) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Wednesday against the Brewers. He didn't allow a hit and walked three.
Rucker wasn't his sharpest, as he needed 35 pitches to cover two frames and issued the three free passes, though he still managed his first win since April 11 when the Cubs scored three times in the top of the ninth to earn a 4-3 victory. The righty was sent to Triple-A Iowa at the end of May due to some struggles, but he's been good since returning in early June, allowing just one run across 11.1 innings.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Recalled from Iowa
Rotowire
The Cubs recalled Rucker from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Rucker will rejoin the Cubs' bullpen following the placement of Edwin Rios (undisclosed) on the 10-day injured list. Rucker was enjoying a strong start to the season with Chicago but gave up 10 earned runs in 8.1 innings over his last four appearances, leading to his demotion May 28. Now that he's back, Rucker will likely return to a multi-inning relief role.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Rucker to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Rucker has yielded 10 earned runs over 8.1 innings across his last four appearances, causing his ERA to balloon from 2.45 to 5.48. He will head to Iowa in order to right the ship, and Hayden Wesneski was recalled to take Rucker's roster spot.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Could start year in minors
Rotowire
Rucker could be squeezed out of the MLB bullpen to begin the regular season, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.
With veteran relievers Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer signed by the Cubs in the offseason, as well as Tyler Duffey on a minor-league deal, Rucker could get squeezed from the Opening Day bullpen and start the year with Triple-A Iowa. Rucker did pitch reasonably well in 2022 with a 3.95 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 54.2 innings for Chicago, so he could certainly get extended run in the majors at some point in 2023.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Earns another win in relief
Rotowire
Rucker (3-1) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Cardinals. He didn't allow a hit or a walk, and struck out one.
Rucker now has three victories in his past seven appearances after having no wins across his first 39 games at the MLB level dating back to last season. That shows the volatility of relief pitching, though Rucker has also taken on a more prominent bullpen role for the Cubs with Scott Effross, Mychal Givens and David Robertson all getting traded before the deadline. Rucker should continue to appear in high-leverage spots, though his value will be capped unless he challenges Rowan Wick and Brandon Hughes for save opportunities.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
Rucker was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday.
After spending a month with Iowa, Rucker will return to Chicago for another stint with the big club. He figures to work in middle-to-long relief like he did last time he was in town.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Moves down to minors
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Rucker to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday.
With the Cubs needing to clear a spot on the 26-man active roster for Sunday's starter Drew Smyly (oblique) to return from the 15-day injured list, Rucker was deemed an expendable piece. During his one-week stint with the big club, Rucker logged three appearances out of the bullpen and gave up two earned runs on four hits and no walks over 4.1 innings.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Returns to big leagues
Rotowire
The Cubs recalled Rucker from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
He'll be joining the big club as a replacement for Alec Mills (back), who was placed on the 15-day injured list just seven pitches into his start in Saturday's win over the Red Sox. Since Mark Leiter came on in long relief and covered 5.1 innings out of the bullpen, he likely won't be available for at least a few days, so Rucker should provide a fresh arm in the interim. Over his previous 12 outings this season with the Cubs spanning 19.2 innings, Rucker posted a 5.49 ERA and 1.47 WHIP.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Heading to Triple-A
Rotowire
Rucker was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Rucker allowed four runs (three earned) without recording an out his last time on the mound June 4, and he'll now make his way back to the minors. Chris Martin (personal) was reinstated from the restricted list in a corresponding move.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Rucker (toe) began a minor-league rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, striking out one over a scoreless inning while working around a hit and a walk.
Rucker has been on the shelf since May 19 due to a bout with turf toe, but he looks on track to return when he's first eligible or shortly thereafter. It's unclear if the Cubs plan on having him make another tune-up appearance in the minors prior to being activated.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Advancing through throwing program
Rotowire
Cubs manager David Ross said Tuesday that Rucker (toe) is progressing through a throwing program, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Rucker was placed on the 15-day injured list last Thursday after he was diagnosed with turf toe, but his ability to resume throwing a few days after being deactivated suggests that he'll be inactive for only a brief period of time. Prior to landing on the shelf, the 28-year-old righty worked 15 innings out of the Cubs' bullpen and submitted a 4.20 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Placed on injured list
Rotowire
Rucker was placed on the 15-day injured list due to turf toe Thursday, retroactive to May 17, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Rucker has made eight relief appearances for the Cubs this year, and he's posted a 4.20 ERA and 1.20 WHIP in 15 innings. The right-hander will be sidelined until at least early June due to his toe injury, but it's not yet clear whether he'll be able to return once he's first eligible.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Likely to make roster
Rotowire
Rucker seems likely to secure an Opening Day bullpen spot with the Cubs, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Rucker appeared in 20 games with the Cubs last season, and although he posted an inflated 6.99 ERA and 1.52 WHIP, his 30 strikeouts across 28.1 innings does show some promise. The righty is unlikely to be a high-leverage arm, but he can give Chicago multiple innings out of the bullpen and may snag a few cheap wins here and there.
