Matt Kartozian - USA Today Sports
Matt Kartozian - USA Today Sports

Cubs make decision on their fifth starter in pitching rotation


by - Senior Editor -

A youngster will get a chance to shine in 2023.

Chicago Cubs manager David Ross announced on Saturday that Hayden Wesneski is the fifth starter on the pitching rotation for the 2023 season.

"He has had a really nice spring," Ross said as he announced Wesneski as the winner of the fifth spot in the rotation. "He's earned it."

Wesneski has a 2.12 ERA in five starts this spring.

“I wish I had something better for you, but I just didn’t talk a whole lot," Wesneski told reporters. I was speechless.”

In the minors in Single-A, Wesneski posted a 2-2 record with a 2.86 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 34.2 innings pitched last season.

He then moved up to the Double-A, where he continued to impress, posting a 4-1 record with a 2.83 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched.

Wesneski played college baseball at Sam Houston University and was named the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year in 2019 after going 8-3 with a 3.62 ERA and 105 strikeouts in 87 innings pitched.

The 24-year-old right-hander was drafted by the New York Yankees in the sixth round of the 2019 MLB draft.

Cubs fans will no doubt be excited to see what Wesneski can do in the upcoming season and beyond.

In other roster news, pitcher Adrian Sampson was optioned to Iowa, clearing the way for Wesneski to garner that prized 5th man spot in the rotation.

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