Leiter signed a minor-league contract Thursday with the Cubs that includes an invitation to major-league spring training, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Leiter was pushed off the Cubs' 40-man roster last month, but he's back now with a chance to impress on the MLB side of spring camp. The 31-year-old right-hander worked to a respectable 3.99 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 73:25 K:BB ratio over 67.2 innings with Chicago during the 2022 regular season.
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Mark Leiter: Becomes free agent
Rotowire
Leiter elected free agency Sunday.
Leiter was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa over the weekend after he went unclaimed off waivers when the Cubs designated him for assignment. The right-hander will likely draw some interest on the market after posting a 3.99 ERA and 73:25 K:BB in 67.2 innings at the big-league level for Chicago in 2022 over 35 appearances.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Outrighted to Triple-A
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Leiter was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Leiter was designated for assignment by the Cubs last week but will remain with the organization after going unclaimed on waivers. The right-hander made 35 appearances (four starts) in the majors last year and posted a 3.99 ERA, 73:25 K:BB and 1.14 WHIP in 67.2 innings.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: DFA'd by Cubs
Rotowire
Leiter was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Friday.
The team needed to free up a spot on the 40-man roster for the addition of Eric Hosmer. Leiter had a solid 2022 season, posting a 3.99 ERA and 73:25 K:BB over 67.2 innings while picking up three saves along the way. There might be some interest in him on waivers.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Posts 2.1-inning save Thursday
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Leiter picked up the save Thursday in Pittsburgh, striking out four in 2.1 innings while walking two and hitting a batter in a 3-2 win.
Leiter entered the game in the seventh inning with the bases loaded and two outs and struck out Rodolfo Castro to end the inning. He walked a batter in the eighth and had runners on second and third with two outs in the ninth but escaped both situations unscathed. It was his third save of the season and second in September. In the second half, he's posted a 1.75 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 27:11 K:BB in 25.2 innings across 18 relief appearances.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Earns second save Wednesday
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Leiter pitched a clean ninth inning to record the save in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Mets.
Brandon Hughes pitched the last two nights, while Rowan Wick worked the seventh inning Wednesday, so the Cubs turned to Leiter in the ninth. The righty responded with his second save in four chances this season. The lefty Hughes as emerged as the team's primary closer, with Wick offering a right-handed option, so Leiter likely won't see a ton more save opportunities the rest of the year.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Takes loss Thursday
Rotowire
Leiter (2-7) allowed two runs on two hits while retiring just two batters to take the loss Thursday against the Reds. He walked one and struck out one.
Leiter has had a rough go of things in terms of record, but he's been pitching pretty well lately. Coming into Thursday, the righty had a 1.69 ERA and 1.00 WHIP across 16 innings since the beginning of August. Leiter should stick in a prominent bullpen role for the Cubs, though his fantasy value will remain capped unless he can begin turning some of the losses into wins.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Takes sixth loss
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Leiter (2-6) allowed an unearned run on one hit across 1.1 innings of relief to take the loss in extra innings Monday against the Blue Jays. He walked two and had no strikeouts.
Leiter took his sixth loss of the season, but he didn't pitch poorly, as both of his walks were intentional. His only real mistake was a walkoff single he allowed to Danny Jansen in the 11th inning, which brought home the runner that started the frame on second base. Even with the loss, Leiter has been outstanding recently with a 1.93 ERA and 14 strikeouts across 14 innings this month. The righty has settled into a regular bullpen role with the Cubs now that the likes of Scott Effross, David Robertson and Mychal Givens are no longer around.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Records first MLB save
Rotowire
Leiter pitched a scoreless 11th inning with two strikeouts to earn the save in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Nationals.
Chicago used five relievers before turning to Leiter, but he made the most of the opportunity with a lead and earned his first MLB save. The righty has quietly been pretty solid since getting recalled from Triple-A Iowa on July 30, recording a 1.46 ERA across 12.1 innings. Leiter is still more of a long reliever for the Cubs, so he shouldn't see regular save chances moving forward.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Recalled by Cubs
Rotowire
Leiter was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday.
Leiter was sent to the minors in mid-July but will rejoin the Cubs' bullpen after Chris Martin was traded to the Dodgers on Saturday. Over 14 appearances (four starts) in the majors this year, Leiter has posted a 5.35 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 38.2 innings.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Sent down Saturday
Rotowire
Leiter was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Leiter was called up by the Cubs on June 21 but wasn't particularly sharp during his stint with the major-league club. He posted a 4.64 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 21.1 innings over seven outings during his time in the big leagues and will head back to the minors as part of a move after Steven Brault's contract was selected Saturday.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Takes loss in relief Sunday
Rotowire
Leiter (2-4) allowed an unearned run on two hits while retiring one batter via strikeout to take the loss Sunday against the Dodgers.
The Cubs probably didn't plan on using Leiter, who tossed five innings as the starting pitcher Thursday against the Dodgers, but Sunday starter Drew Smyly lasted only two frames in the 11-9 loss, so the team had to scramble. Leiter became the first Chicago pitcher to start a game and appear in relief during the same series since Daniel Norris accomplished that last season, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune. Leiter has made four starts and nine relief appearances so far this year, and he hasn't been particularly effective in either role, registering a 5.14 ERA across 35 innings. He's likely to stick in the bullpen moving forward now that the Cubs have returned both Smyly and Marcus Stroman from the injured list.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Struggles in start
Rotowire
Leiter (2-3) took the loss against the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits and no walks while striking out four batters over five innings.
Leiter gave up only five hits in five innings, but all five went for extra bases, including three that left the yard. The right-hander did well with 5.1 frames of one-run ball after stepping in for Alec Mills (back) in the first inning against Boston last Saturday, but he was unable to duplicate that effort against Los Angeles. Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) recently joined Mills, Marcus Stroman (shoulder), Drew Smyly (oblique) and Wade Miley (shoulder) as Cubs starters on the injured list, so Leiter has a chance to keep a spot in the rotation, though that isn't guaranteed with both Stroman and Smyly expected to be back in action this weekend.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Entering rotation Thursday
Rotowire
Leiter is scheduled to start Thursday's game in Los Angeles against the Dodgers, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Leiter joins the rotation as a replacement for Alec Mills (back), who exited seven pitches into his most recent start Sunday against the Red Sox and was moved to the 15-day injured list. Following Mills' departure, Leiter stepped in and struck out five over 5.1 innings of one-run ball, so the right-hander should be sufficiently stretched out as he prepares for his fourth start of the season with the big-league club.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Earns win in impromptu outing
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Leiter (2-2) earned the win in Saturday's victory over the Red Sox. He allowed a run on three hits and a walk with five strikeouts over 5.1 innings.
Starter Alec Mills (back) exited the contest after just seven pitches and one out, with Leiter stepping in for his longest appearance of the year. The right-hander has started three of his 11 outings in the majors this year, and he'd be a candidate to join the rotation if Mills can't make his next scheduled start, though Marcus Stroman (shoulder) could be good to go by next weekend if he only needs one rehab start. Leiter has pitched to mixed results with a 4.85 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 31:13 K:BB through 29.2 innings overall.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Suffers second loss
Rotowire
Leiter (1-2) allowed two runs on four hits across two innings of relief to take the loss Saturday against the Cardinals. He didn't have any walks and struck out two.
Leiter allowed two hits in the seventh inning but escaped without allowing any runs, and the Cubs proceeded to tie the game at 3-3 in the top of the eighth. However, Leiter was less fortunate in the bottom of the frame. A one-out double followed by a wild pitch left a runner on third. Leiter then hit Harrison Bader with a pitch and followed that by allowing a sacrifice fly and a run-scoring single. The righty has struggled this year with a 6.04 ERA, and he could get shipped back to Triple-A Iowa at some point.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Back with big-league club
Rotowire
Leiter was recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Leiter will join the Cubs on Tuesday for his fourth stint in the majors this season. The 31-year-old has appeared in seven games (three starts) and has a 6.23 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 16:9 K:BB over 17.1 innings.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Sent down Saturday
Rotowire
Leiter was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Leiter made two relief appearances after being called up May 29, and he allowed three runs while striking out four in five innings. However, he picked up his first major-league win of the season Wednesday against Milwaukee. The right-hander will head back to the minors as part of a move to make room on the active roster for Caleb Kilian, who will start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Sent down Wednesday
Rotowire
Leiter was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday.
Leiter spent a week with the major-league club but made just one relief appearance during his stint with the Cubs. He's posted a 6.57 ERA and 1.54 WHIP in 12.1 innings over five appearances (three starts) in the big leagues this year but will return to Iowa after David Robertson (undisclosed) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list.
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Cubs' Mark Leiter: Back in big leagues
Rotowire
The Cubs recalled Leiter from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday.
Leiter, who posted a 7.84 ERA and 1.74 WHIP in 10.1 innings over four appearances (three starts) during a two-week stint with the big club in April, will be rejoining the Cubs as a reliever ahead of Wednesday's series finale in San Diego. Keegan Thompson is scheduled to start Wednesday, but since he hasn't worked more than four innings in any of his appearances this season and is pitching on three days' rest, Leiter could be needed to cover multiple innings behind him.
