It's official: Lester activated, Cubs add outfielder |
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today activated left-handed pitcher Jon Lester off of disabled list and selected the contract of outfielder Leonys Martin from Triple-A Iowa. To make room for Martin on the 40-man roster, left-handed pitcher Jack Leathersich was designated for assignment.
Both Lester, who will make the start, and Martin, who will wear uniform number 24, will available for the Cubs this afternoon as they continue their four-game series against the Atlanta Braves at Wrigley Field. Lester, 33, was placed on the 10-day disabled list on August 18 with left lat tightness/general shoulder fatigue. He is 8-7 with a 4.37 ERA (72 ER/148.1 IP) in 26 starts with the Cubs this season. He did not require a rehab outing as part of his return. This marked Lester’s first stint on the disabled list since the 2011 campaign. Martin, 29, was acquired from Seattle on August 31 for cash or a player to be named. He has played all or part of seven major league seasons with Texas (2011-15) and Seattle (2016-17) and tallied 114 stolen bases with experience at all three outfield positions, including 551 games in center field, 36 games in right field and 10 games in left field. The left-handed batter and right-handed thrower is a career .248 hitter with (487-for-1,965) with 71 doubles, 19 triples, 38 home runs and 175 in 606 career games. A native of Cuba, Martin originally signed a five-year major league contract with the Rangers on May 4, 2011. He enjoyed his best major league season in 2014 when he hit .274 (146-for-533) with seven homers and 40 RBI in a career-high 155 games. This year, Martin has split time between Seattle and Triple-A, batting .306 (110-for-360) with 24 doubles, 11 homers, 39 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 88 games with Tacoma and batting .174 (20-for-115) with three homers, eight RBI and six stolen bases in 34 games with the Mariners. Leathersich, 27, went 2-4 with one save and a 2.84 ERA (14 ER/44.1 IP) in 41 relief appearances with Iowa this season. He also made one appearance with the Cubs, allowing two runs on one hit and four walks in 0.2 innings.
