Cubs place reliever Yency Almonte on IL, call up Jose Cuas from Iowa originally appeared in NBC Sports Chicago
Ahead of the second game of a three-game set in Pittsburgh against the Pirates, which features the debut of top pitcher Paul Skenes, the Chicago Cubs have been bitten once again by the injury bug.
The club announced Saturday that reliever Yency Almonte has been placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained right shoulder, recalling reliever José Cuas from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding lineup change.
Almonte’s IL placement is retroactive to May 8, meaning his replacement could return on May 23.
Almonte, 29, had recorded four consecutive scoreless games prior to his IL placement, saw his ERA drop from 4.91 to 3.45 in that span.
The right-hander has thrown 15.2 innings on the season, totaling eight walks and 20 strikeouts with a 3.34 FIP.
As for Cuas, the 29-year-old right-hander has another chance with the big league club after many struggles during his first stint.
Cuas recorded a 12.00 ERA in five games with the big league club this season, allowing eight earned runs in six innings with two walks and six strikeouts.
The right-hander has had mixed results at Iowa this year, walking four and striking out an impressive 17 batters in just 8.1 innings, while still allowing eight hits and four earned runs in that stretch.
The Cubs will look to improve to 24-16 on Saturday and play their first series of the year against the Pirates, with first pitch set for 3:05 p.m. local time.
