MIAMI — The Cubs selected Ryan Borucki from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, giving them a lefty in the bullpen before the series finale against the Marlins. In a corresponding move, they optioned Caleb Kilian to Triple-A after his spot start the day before.
The Cubs signed Borucki to a minor-league contract with a major-league spring training invite this offseason. He posted a 3.52 ERA in spring and was competing for an Opening Day roster spot.
“The 26 men that start on the opening roster are not the only 26 men that are going to help that team win,” Borucki told the Sun-Times this spring. “And you see it everywhere. So, I’m not trying to put too much pressure on myself.”
He did, however, say he thinks he’s a big-league pitcher and hopes the Cubs see him that way. After a 40-man roster crunch at the beginning of the year, the team created a spot by designating catcher Luis Torrens for assignment when center fielder Cody Bellinger returned from the paternity list Friday.
Borucki, a Highland Park native, began his career with the Blue Jays. He converted from a starter to a reliever during the shortened 2020 season, his best year. He has a career 4.66 ERA out of the bullpen. The Blue Jays traded him to the Mariners midway through the 2022 season.
The Cubs went from one left-handed reliever on the active roster to none on Saturday when they put Brandon Hughes on the 15-day injured list with recurring left knee inflammation.
