Cubs Activate Drew Smyly from IL, Option Jose Cuas

I’m on a small lake in the middle of Michigan, so here’s the media release:

The Chicago Cubs today activated left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly from the 15-day injured list and optioned right-handed pitcher José Cuas to Triple-A Iowa.

Smyly, 34, was placed on the injured list April 23 (retroactive to April 22) with a right hip impingement. This season, prior to his I.L. stint, the lefthander had gone 2-2 with a 4.97 ERA (7 ER/12.2 IP) in nine games in relief for Chicago. Of those nine outings, he had pitched at least 2.0 innings in four of them. Smyly made one rehab start with High-A South Bend, May 21 vs. Wisconsin, tossing 3.0 perfect innings with five strikeouts.

The six-foot three-inch Smyly is 20-21 with a 4.37 ERA (127 ER/261.1 IP) in 72 games (45 starts) across parts of three seasons since signing with the Cubs as a free agent in December 2022. Prior to his time with the Cubs, Smyly pitched in the major leagues for Detroit (2012-14), Tampa Bay (2014-16), Texas (2019), Philadelphia (2019), San Francisco (2020) and Atlanta (2021). All told, in 289 career major league games (179 starts), the left-handed pitcher is 66-60 with a 4.23 ERA (516 ER/1,098.2 IP).

A Little Rock, Ark., native, Smyly attended the University of Arkansas and was selected by the Tigers in the second round of the 2010 draft.

Cuas, 29, has split the 2024 campaign between Chicago and the I-Cubs, pitching in nine games out of the bullpen for the Cubs, posting a 7.43 ERA (11 ER/13.1 IP), and six for Iowa, going 1-0 with a 4.32 ERA (4 ER/8.1 IP).

The Cubs play St. Louis tonight at 6:15 p.m. CT at Busch Stadium, a game that can be seen on FOX and heard on 670 the Score.