Cubs make several roster moves |
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today selected the contracts of left-handed pitcher
Bailey Horn from Triple-A Iowa, right-handed pitcher
Porter Hodge from Double-A Tennessee and right-handed pitcher Michael Arias from High-A South Bend. The Cubs 40-man roster now stands at 40 players.
Horn, 25, last season pitched to a 7-3 record with three saves and a 4.21 ERA (29 ER/62.0 IP) in 45 relief appearances between Tennessee and Iowa. He reached the Triple-A level for the first time in late April following six outings at Double-A, in which he held opponents to a .100 batting average and a 0.89 WHIP with five walks and 19 strikeouts. Acquired from the White Sox for right-handed pitcher Ryan Tepera July 29, 2021, Horn is 11-9 with a 4.20 ERA (81 ER/173.2 IP), seven saves and 11.5 strikeouts per 9.0 innings in 99 career minor league games (14 starts) with the White Sox and Cubs organizations. He was named a 2022 Arizona Fall League Rising Star, allowing two earned runs in eight games (12.0 IP). Entering the 2021 campaign, the lefty was ranked as the No. 30 prospect in the White Sox system by MLB.com after being selected in the fifth round of the 2020 First Year Player Draft out of Auburn University (Ala.). Hodge, 22, went 6-7 with a 5.13 ERA (46 ER/80.2 IP) and 103 strikeouts in 35 games (12 starts), pitching primarily in relief for the first time in his career. He led Double-A with 0.33 home runs per 9.0 innings (min. 80 IP) while his 11.5 strikeouts per 9.0 innings ranked ninth. He was named the Southern League Pitcher of the Month for May, pacing the league with a 1.64 ERA (min. 20 IP) and ranking third in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (13.09) and sixth in WHIP (1.05) during the month. The six-foot four-inch Hodge is ranked as the No. 26 prospect in the Cubs organization by MLB.com. In 79 career minor league games (50 starts), he is 15-15 with a 4.34 ERA (120 ER/248.2 IP) and 312 strikeouts spanning four seasons. He was selected by the Cubs in the 13th round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Cottonwood High School in Salt Lake City, Utah. Arias, who turns 22 tomorrow, posted a 4.09 ERA (37 ER/81.1 IP) in 22 starts between Single-A Myrtle Beach and South Bend. He was named the Carolina League Pitcher of the Week June 4 and pitched to a 2.55 ERA (12 ER/42.1 IP) and 1.16 WHIP in 11 outings with the Pelicans before being promoted. He averaged 12.2 strikeouts and 0.33 home runs per 9.0 innings across both levels. A Santo Domingo, D.R., native, Arias is Chicago’s No. 12 prospect according to MLB.com. He is 5-15 with a 3.99 ERA (54 ER/121.2 IP) in 48 games (32 starts) across three seasons with the Cubs organization. Arias was signed by the Cubs to a minor league contract January 15, 2021, after spending parts of three seasons in the Dominican Summer League in Toronto’s organization. The Chicago Cubs have selected the contract of Bailey Horn. The pitcher is now added to the 40-man roster. pic.twitter.com/DvfWpceRnI
