Cubs Place Yency Almonte on 15-Day IL, Recall José Cuas

The hurts just keep on coming for the Cubs, man. One day after Dansby Swanson went to the IL with a sprained right knee, righty reliever Yency Almonte was placed on the shelf with a shoulder strain. This is their 97th injured pitcher of the season already, or at least that’s what it feels like. Making matters worse, Almonte was one of the Cubs’ most reliable arms in the bullpen.

After allowing four earned runs on five hits and three walks with just one strikeout in two total innings, Almonte has really settled down. Over his last 13.2 innings, he has 19 strikeouts with five walks and has allowed just two earned runs. Both of those came in one game, so he’s been nails otherwise. José Cuas, on the other hand, has not been the most reliable.

The Cubs really need Cuas to give them quality innings because they don’t have many other choices at this point. See below for the press release.

The Chicago Cubs today placed right-handed pitcher Yency Almonte on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to May 8) with right shoulder strain and recalled right-handed pitcher José Cuas from Triple-A Iowa.

Cuas, 29, made Chicago’s Opening Day roster this season and appeared in five games out of the bullpen prior to being optioned to the I-Cubs April 11, allowing eight runs in 6.0 IP (12.00 ERA). In six relief appearances with Iowa, Cuas posted a 4.32 ERA (4 ER/8.1 IP) and struck out 17 batters, good for a 45.9% strikeout rate. He has struck out 11 batters in 4.1 IP in his last three outings, including striking out the side May 5 vs. Omaha.

A Santo Domingo, D.R., native, Cuas was acquired by the Cubs from Kansas City July 31, 2023 for outfielder Nelson Velázquez. In parts of three major league seasons with the Royals (2022-23) and Cubs (2023-24), Cuas is 7-4 with a 4.29 ERA (52 ER/109.0 IP) in 124 games (two starts). The righthander attended the University of Maryland and was selected by Milwaukee in the 11th round of the 2015 draft.

Almonte, 29, has gone 1-0 with a 3.45 ERA (6 ER/15.2 IP) in 17 games in relief for Chicago in his first season with the organization after being acquired from the Dodgers, January 11. In 13 games since April 6, the righthander owns a 1.32 ERA (2 ER/13.2 IP).

The Cubs play the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park today at 3:05 p.m. CT in a game that can be seen on Marquee Sports Network and heard on 670 The Score.