The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday.
Little made just one appearance during his brief time with the big club and allowed one run while walking four over one-third of an inning. The Cubs will announced a corresponding roster move prior to Friday's game versus the Diamondbacks.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Struggles with command in debut
Rotowire
Little allowed one run and retired two batters in relief during Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Padres while also walking four.
After getting recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday with Eli Morgan (elbow) moving to the injured list, Little struggled to find the plate in his 2025 MLB debut. Command has been the lefty's weakness so far in the majors, as he posted a 5.4 BB/9 during a brief stint in 2023 and then followed that up with a 6.2 mark last year while logging 26 innings for the Cubs. Little has good stuff, but if he keeps walking batters at a high rate, he will remain a low-leverage reliever at best with limited fantasy upside.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Recalled from Iowa
Rotowire
The Cubs recalled Little from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
With Eli Morgan (elbow) headed to the injured list and Nate Pearson headed to the minors, Little will make the trip to the majors alongside Daniel Palencia to replenish Chicago's bullpen depth. Little owns a 2.76 ERA through 32.2 career innings in the majors, and he's off to a strong start in Triple-A, allowing two runs in 5.2 frames while striking out six and walking three. He'll likely be used in middle relief while with the Cubs.
Little (lat) struck out two and scattered three hits over 1.1 scoreless innings in his Cactus League appearance Friday versus the Padres.
Little suffered a season-ending left lat strain last July and was eased along slowly in spring training, as he didn't make any appearances before the Cubs opened their campaign with a two-game set versus the Dodgers in Tokyo last week. The Cubs had already optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on March 7, and his ability to make his spring debut Friday suggests that he'll likely avoid a stint on Iowa's injured list to begin the season. Little remains a member of the Cubs' 40-man roster and should have a good chance at surfacing in the big-league bullpen at some point in 2025.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Little (lat) to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Little never made an appearance this spring, as the Cubs have brought him along slowly after he ended last season on the injured list with a left lat strain. It's not clear when he might be ready to pitch in games. The big southpaw posted a 3.46 ERA and 28:18 K:BB across 26 relief innings for Chicago in 2024.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Ramping up slowly
Rotowire
The Cubs plan to ramp Little (lat) up slowly this spring, and the lefty appears unlikely to be ready for an Opening Day bullpen role, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.
Little sustained a strained left lat in July, which ended his 2024 season prematurely. The Cubs are understandably being cautious with the lefty, so he likely won't be available when the team heads to Tokyo to play the Dodgers on March 18 and 19, though he could be ready for regular-season action later in the month or in early April. Little flashed some promise last year, as his fastball sat a tick below 96 mph and he recorded a 9.7 K/9 and 3.46 ERA across 26 innings. When he's ready to roll in 2025, the southpaw figures to be an interesting bullpen weapon for Chicago, though he likely won't see save opportunities with Ryan Pressly and Porter Hodge around.
The Cubs transferred Little (lat) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday.
The move frees up a spot for Julian Merryweather's (ribs) return from the 60-day IL. Over the weekend, manager Craig Counsell said Little would likely miss the rest of the season due to a left lat strain.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Unlikely to return in 2024
Rotowire
Manager Craig Counsell said Saturday that Little (lat) is likely out for the rest of the season, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.
Little landed on the injured list last Saturday due to what was labeled a left shoulder strain, though the results of his MRI on Friday confirmed the strain is in his left lat. It doesn't seem that he'll require surgery, but the Cubs will still keep the southpaw shut down for now. Should he miss the rest of the season, he'll finish with a 3.46 ERA and 1.27 WHIP alongside a 28:18 K:BB across 26 innings.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Undergoing MRI on shoulder
Rotowire
Little will undergo an MRI on his injured left shoulder Friday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
Little landed on the 15-day injured list just before the All-Star break and will now go through imaging to assess the severity of the issue. The left-handed reliever has put up a 3.46 ERA and 28:18 K:BB over 26 innings out of the Cubs' bullpen in 2024.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Placed on injured list
Rotowire
The Cubs placed Little on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a left shoulder strain, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Little had to leave his appearance Friday after just four pitches due to reported soreness in his shoulder, and imaging revealed a strain that will cause him to land on the IL. Ethan Roberts was recalled from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move in order to replenish Chicago's bullpen depth.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Battling shoulder issue
Rotowire
Little was removed from Friday's game against the Cardinals due to shoulder discomfort, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Little was only able to throw four pitches and didn't retire a batter before his shoulder forced him to make an early exit. The Cubs haven't offered any information regarding the seriousness of the southpaw's injury, and there's no telling whether he'll be available to pitch again before the All-Star break.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Records win Saturday
Rotowire
Little (3-1) tossed a scoreless inning of relief to earn the win in Saturday's 5-3 victory over the Brewers. He allowed two hits and struck out one.
Little retired the first two batters of the seventh inning, then made things interesting by allowing consecutive hits. However, he escaped the frame when Andruw Monasterio was caught attempting to steal home. The lefty then earned the win when the Cubs scored two in the top of the eighth to break open a 3-3 tie. Little has been back and forth between Triple-A and the majors, though he's been fairly effective when called on by Chicago, posting a 3.80 ERA and 26 strikeouts across 23.2 innings.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Back in big leagues
Rotowire
Little was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Little will return to the major-league bullpen just one day after being sent to Iowa, replacing Mark Leiter (forearm) on the 26-man roster. Little has compiled a 2.31 ERA and 1.03 WHIP with 12 strikeouts over 11.2 innings in 13 appearances with the Cubs since May 15.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
After being recalled from the minors May 15, Little logged a 2.31 ERA and 1.03 WHIP while striking out 12 batters and walking 10 across 11.2 innings. Despite the southpaw's overall success, he'll be sent back to Iowa in order to clear room for Keegan Thompson, who returned from the paternity list Saturday.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Earns first MLB win
Rotowire
Little (1-0) tossed a scoreless 10th inning out of the bullpen to pick up the win in Tuesday's 4-3 victory over Atlanta.
Little was the sixth Chicago pitcher to enter the contest, and the lefty was effective despite starting his frame with a runner on second. This was the 23-year-old's first win in the majors in his 21st career appearance. Little is still a fairly low-leverage reliever at this point, which leaves him with limited fantasy appeal.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs recalled Little from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Ryan Herrera of MLB.com reports.
Little has permitted seven runs over nine relief innings during his time in the big leagues this season. The 6-foot-8 left-hander will operate in low-leverage situations.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Struggles in relief Saturday
Rotowire
Little allowed five runs on three hits and a walk while retiring just two batters in Saturday's 17-0 loss to the Red Sox.
Chicago starter Ben Brown allowed three runs over just 3.2 innings, then gave way to Little, who struggled mightily. The lefty's ERA went from 2.16 to 7.00 in the process, and it may take Little some time to get that figure back into a more acceptable range. He's not a great fantasy target at the moment due to his middle-relief role.
... See More... See Less
Cubs' Luke Little: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Little surrendered five runs over two-thirds of an inning Saturday and will be demoted in favor of some fresh arms. Daniel Palencia and Richard Lovelady are joining the Cubs as Jordan Wicks (forearm) heads to the injured list.
1:22
1:20
11:03
10:34
1:03
8:44
0:59
8:47
0:30
9:30
0:45
8:42
9:16
9:29
6:54
5:55
6:35
6:24
5:27
6:05
