Thompson tossed two scoreless innings of relief with four strikeouts in Friday's 8-3 win over the Marlins.
Thompson allowed just a lone walk over his two strong frames Friday, and he kept his season ERA at a perfect 0.00 across six innings. This level of play is of course unsustainable, though the righty could be emerging as a key multi-inning option for the Cubs. Thompson doesn't seem to be in the mix to start anytime soon, however, and his fantasy value will remain limited in a long-relief role.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Sharp in 2024 debut
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Thompson tossed two scoreless innings of relief with three strikeouts in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Mariners.
Thompson was called up from Triple-A Iowa earlier in the day with Jose Cuas getting sent down, and he immediately had a positive impact. The righty can give the Cubs some length out of the bullpen, as he's a former rotation member who made 23 starts for the team between 2021 and 2022. While he could vulture a win here and there, Thompson is unlikely to have a huge fantasy impact in his current role.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Called up Friday
Rotowire
Manager Craig Counsell revealed on "The Parkins & Spiegal Show" that the Cubs had called up Thompson from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, per 670 The Score.
With Jose Cuas being sent down Thursday, the Cubs are bringing in Thompson to shore up their bullpen depth. Thompson has not allowed a run in his last three outings with Iowa, striking out six batters while allowing one hit and two walks in five innings over that span.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Opening season in minors
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Thompson to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday.
Thompson was one of five players cut Sunday as the Cubs reduced their group at big-league camp to 42 men with Opening Day about a week and a half away. The right-hander had a decent showing in spring training, but his underwhelming results over a larger sample of work in the big leagues in 2023 (4.71 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 26:19 K:BB in 28.2 innings) likely played a greater part in the Cubs' decision to send him to Triple-A to begin the 2024 campaign.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Continues strong spring
Rotowire
Thompson, who logged a scoreless inning of relief with two strikeouts in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Brewers, has yet to allow a run this spring.
Thompson has only tossed three innings across three Cactus League appearances, so it's a small sample size, but he's looked good so far. After making 17 starts for the Cubs in 2022, the righty worked entirely in relief last season, and he struggled with a 4.71 ERA across 28.2 innings. Now that Thompson has settled in a bit more as a reliever, he'll look for better results in 2024, though it likely will be in a lower-leverage role.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Sent to rookie ball
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Thompson to the Arizona Complex League on Friday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Following the activation of Adbert Alzolay (forearm) from the 15-day IL, Thompson will be pushed off the active roster and continue working at the Cubs' facility in Arizona. He holds a 4.71 ERA and 1.36 WHIP through 28.2 innings on the year, and he could end up being a bullpen depth option in the postseason should the Cubs secure a spot.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Sent back to minors
Rotowire
Thompson was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
He's giving up his roster spot to Brad Boxberger, who is back following a long stint on the injured list. Thompson had been scored upon in each of his last three relief appearances, yielding a total of five runs over 5.1 innings.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Notches first save
Rotowire
Thompson recorded his first save of the season in the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Reds, giving up one run on two hits over two innings. He struck out two.
The right-hander was brought in to work the eighth inning with the Cubs protecting a 4-1 lead, and then stayed in the game after they tacked on two insurance runs in the top of the ninth. It's Thompson's second appearance since he rejoined the big-league bullpen in late August, and he's worked two innings in each with an impressive 7:0 K:BB. Friday's usage suggests he could be moving into a high-leverage role, but the 28-year-old is no threat to Adbert Alzolay's job as closer.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Thompson to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Thompson surrendered three earned runs while recording no outs in his last appearance Wednesday versus the Astros. He carries an overall 4.22 ERA in 21.1 innings of relief this year with Chicago.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Bright spot in big loss
Rotowire
Thompson tossed two perfect innings of relief with two strikeouts in Sunday's 16-3 loss to the Twins.
Thompson was one of seven Chicago players to take the mound Sunday, and he and Brandon Hughes, who retired a single batter, were the only ones to not get scored upon. Thompson has been good in relief this season with a 2.95 ERA across 21.1 innings. With Hayden Wesneski struggling some as the team's fifth starter, Thompson could be a candidate to start at some point after making 17 starts in 2022, though he'll stick in long relief for the time being.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Struggles in loss
Rotowire
Thompson (1-2) allowed three runs on four hits while retiring just one batter to take the loss Tuesday against the Nationals.
Starter Hayden Wesneski allowed just one run across six innings, but Thompson struggled mightily in the seventh. The righty has taken losses in each of his last two outings while allowing four earned runs and retiring only two batters. Thompson has seen his ERA climb from 1.23 to 3.52 in the process. Better days should be ahead for Chicago's long reliever, who had a 3.38 ERA in 2021 and a 3.76 mark last season.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Suffers first loss Sunday
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Thompson (1-1) allowed a run on one hit and a walk while retiring one batter to take the loss Sunday against the Marlins.
Thompson was charged with an earned run in the eighth inning, which broke a 3-3 tie, and the Marlins hung on for the 4-3 win. Despite the hiccup, Thompson has been good so far with a 1.80 ERA and 12 strikeouts across 15 innings of relief work. He should remain a key multi-inning bullpen option for the Cubs, and if a need ever arises in the rotation, he does have starting experience at the MLB level.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Earns first win
Rotowire
Thompson (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning of relief and earned the win Monday against the Mariners. He walked two and struck out one.
Thompson battled his control a bit but was still able tot earn his first win of 2023 out of the bullpen, as Chicago squeaked out a 3-2 victory in 10 innings. The righty has been sharp, allowing just one earned run this year so far across 6.1 innings to go along with six strikeouts. Thompson made 17 starts for the Cubs in 2022, but it looks like he'll have to settle for being a relief weapon in 2023.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Stretches out Thursday
Rotowire
Thompson tossed two scoreless innings in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks. He struck out two.
Thompson pitched multiple innings for the first time this spring, as the team has worked him in slowly to his new relief role. The righty made 17 starts last season, but it seems like the Cubs primarily plan on using him as a long reliever in 2023. That role is a less fantasy-friendly job, so Thompson is mostly off the radar for the moment.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Building up slowly
Rotowire
The Cubs are building up Thompson slowly this spring as he adjusts to a new role as a reliever, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Thompson made his Cactus League debut Saturday and logged a scoreless inning with a strikeout. The team wanted to see how the righty responded to throwing bullpen sessions more frequently to begin spring training as they transition him into a relief role. Thompson made 17 starts and 12 relief appearances last season, recording a strong 3.76 ERA across 115 total innings. He figures to be a multi-inning bullpen option in 2023, though he's capable of making spot starts when needed.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Not seen as starter
Rotowire
Thompson is viewed as a reliever and is not part of the competition for the Cubs' final rotation spot, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Kyle Hendricks' shoulder injury will open up a starting role to begin the year, but Thompson isn't a candidate to fill it. Hayden Wesneski, Javier Assad and Adrian Sampson are the frontrunners. Thompson made 17 starts and 12 relief appearances last season, finishing with a 3.76 ERA.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Suffers blown save Tuesday
Rotowire
Thompson suffered a blown save after he pitched 2.2 innings, giving up two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out five in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Reds.
Thompson entered the game with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning, tasked with protecting a 1-0 lead. After the Cubs scored a run in the following half inning, the right-hander surrendered a two-run homer to Chuckie Robinson in the seventh frame, which tied the game at 2-2. The blown save was his first of the season and the runs allowed were his first given up since he returned from the 15-day injured list Sept. 21. Thompson now owns a 3.76 ERA and 1.27 WHIP with 108 strikeouts over 115 innings in 29 appearances including 17 starts this year.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Earns first 2022 save
Rotowire
Thompson pitched three scoreless innings of relief to earn the save Thursday against the Phillies. He allowed one hit and two walks, while striking out three.
Since returning from the injured list Sept. 21, Thompson has pitched eight scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and he earned his first save of the season Thursday by closing out a 2-0 contest. The righty made 17 starts for the Cubs this year but is finishing up the campaign in relief. Thompson figures to compete for a rotation spot again in 2023.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Comes off IL
Rotowire
The Cubs reinstated Thompson (back) from the 15-day injured list Wednesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Reliever Jeremiah Estrada was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to clear a spot on the 28-man active roster for Thompson, who is expected to work out of the Cubs bullpen over the final two weeks of the season after making 17 starts prior to landing on the IL on Aug. 20. With a 3.97 ERA and 1.31 WHIP over 104.1 innings this season, Thompson has likely done enough to put him in good position to open the 2023 campaign as a member of the rotation.
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Cubs' Keegan Thompson: Returning soon as reliever
Rotowire
Cubs manager David Ross said Monday that Thompson (back) will be activated from the 15-day injured list within the next couple of days and will be used out of the bullpen, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Since Thompson landed on the injured list Aug. 20 with lower-back tightness and didn't start his rehab assignment until this past weekend, he didn't have enough time to get stretched back out for a traditional starter's role. He's at least healthy now and will be able to finish the season on the field, with the Cubs likely to deploy him as a multi-inning arm out of the bullpen. In his lone rehab appearance at Triple-A Iowa, Thompson struck out four while allowing an earned run on one hit and one walk over 2.1 innings.
