Chicago reunites with the veteran southpaw to bolster a depleted bullpen, betting on a familiar arm to recapture the dominant late-inning form.
The Chicago Cubs have welcomed back Drew Pomeranz to the big league roster.
The Cubs officially selected Pomeranz's contract ahead of Friday’s series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals. In a corresponding move, the team has optioned young left-hander Jordan Wicks back down to Triple-A.
Pomeranz was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels back on June 15 amid a rough start to the season. The veteran had a 5.01 ERA and a 1.586 WHIP across 23 ⅓ innings pitched before being DFA’d.
Pomeranz was then eventually released by the Angels organization after going unclaimed on waivers on June 18. The Cubs immediately swooped in and signed the left-handed reliever to a Minor League contract on June 22.
Chicago is obviously very familiar with Pomeranz. The front office traded for him early during the 2025 season, and the southpaw went on to post the best all-around pitching numbers of his career. He had a 2.17 ERA, 1.067 WHIP, and a 28.1% strikeout rate across 49 ⅔ innings pitched.
Pomeranz really emerged as a reliable bullpen arm in the later innings for the Cubs last year. He had a 3.48 expected ERA and a .215 expected batting average against, while earning 14 holds. The 37-year-old also allowed just one run across six strong innings in the postseason.
After not appearing in any Major League games from 2022 to 2024, the Cubs helped Pomeranz turn back the clock in 2025. They’re hoping they can fix the veteran left-hander again as they search for bullpen help at the midway point of the season.
Pomeranz spent a little over one week down in the Cubs’ Minor League system before being called up. He spent seven days down at the team’s Spring Training complex and moved up to Triple-A on June 28.
With the Iowa Cubs, Pomeranz made two appearances in relief. He threw one scoreless inning with one walk and two strikeouts against Triple-A Buffalo on June 28 and threw another scoreless inning with one hit and one strikeout against Triple-A Toledo on July 1.
Those two outings were enough for his contract to be selected prior to Friday's game.
The North Siders are hoping that the 2025 version of Pomeranz shows up. He was a dominant reliever last year who came into his own to become one of the team’s best bullpen arms. Chicago could use all the bullpen help it can get with seven relievers currently on the injured list.
The Cubs are hoping to fix Pomeranz for the second straight season.
