The Chicago Cubs are hoping that some insider knowledge pays off during their three-game set with the Athletics .
Ahead of the series opener on Tuesday night, the Cubs selected the contract of Tyler Ferguson . The relief arm will now join a bullpen that has started to look a little better in recent weeks. He will also join the big league squad less than a month after Chicago took a flyer on the righty. They added Ferguson in a trade with the Athletics , giving up nothing more than some cash.
Ferguson has 105 MLB games under his belt with a 4.47 ERA. He only appeared in one game for the Athletics this season, giving up four earned runs in just 1.1 innings of work. Nevertheless, there was reason for the Cubs to take a chance on the veteran arm. While he's never had an elite presence, he has proven to be a serviceable bullpen arm in the past with his mid-90s fastball and low-80s sweeper.
The main problem for Ferguson has been his command. During his 56 appearances last season, he held a sky-high walk rate of 13.8 percent. We also haven't necessarily seen this trend in the right direction during his brief action with the Iowa Cubs. Through his 7.1 innings of work in Triple-A, Ferguson has just as many strikeouts as he does walks (5).
With that said, he does have a solid 3.52 ERA and has registered a 1.43 GO/AO ratio. In other words, he has been forcing batters into plenty of groundouts. Even with some better showings over the past couple of weeks, the Cubs don't have a good reason to be picky. Their starters continue to let up early runs, and it's at least worth seeing if Ferguson can effectively eat up some middle innings. If it doesn't work out, you've got plenty of other waiver claims sitting in Iowa waiting for their shot!
May 26, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Jordan Wicks (36) delivers a pitch against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the first inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The Jordan Wicks experiment has come to an end ... again .
With obvious help needed in the starting rotation, Jed Hoyer decided to give one of the Cubs' previous top prospects another shot. Wicks had not made a big league start since the 2024 campaign, and he only lasted eight games in the bigs during the 2025 campaign as a relief arm. Nonetheless, injuries led to another opportunity, and it's safe to say Wicks failed to take advantage.
The lefty looked completely out of place against both the Pittsburgh and St. Louis . His first start saw him give up a jarring 8 earned runs in 4.1 innings of work against the Pirates. Then, on primetime visiting another division foe, Wicks' struggles continued with 3 earned runs in only 2.1 innings of work. He struck out a single batter before Craig Counsell decided to pull the plug.
Where things go from here for Wicks is hard to say. He found a little more success coming out of the bullpen, so it's possible the Cubs give him that opportunity again in the near future. Even then, however, he just hasn't been able to find any kind of dependable rhythm at the next level. At some point, there are only so many times you can give him an opportunity, especially when you're trying to compete on a daily basis.
Sign up for our free newsletter to stay up-to-date with all things Chicago Cubs.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/cubs/onsi as Cubs Go With Tyler Freguson Ahead of A's Series - Send Down Jordan Wicks .
