Chicago bolsters its bullpen with fresh left-handed arms. Luke Little returns amidst control concerns, while Ryan Rolison aims to prove his dominant Triple-A performance.
Reinforcements are on the way for the Chicago Cubs.
Tommy Birch reported ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies that left-handed relievers Luke Little and Ryan Rolison are being called up by the Cubs.
To make way for both relievers on the active roster, the Cubs have optioned Charlie Barnes to Triple-A and placed Ethan Roberts on the 15-day injured list due to a right middle finger laceration.
This will be Little’s first time up this season, but he is no stranger to the big leagues. He threw 26 innings for the Cubs in 2024 and another 2 ⅔ innings in 2025. In his two appearances last year, the southpaw allowed two runs (one earned run) with one hit, six walks, and four strikeouts.
His limited Major League innings last season were due to his lack of control. He walked six of the 15 batters he faced in the Majors, and walks continue to be a massive problem for the 25-year-old.
Little had a 14% walk rate across 36 Minor League games in 2023. He walked seven batters in 6 ⅔ innings at Triple-A in 2024 before suffering a season-ending injury and finished with a 13.5% walk rate with the Iowa Cubs in 2025.
Unfortunately, Little's walk problems have continued into the early portion of the 2026 season. He has walked 10 batters across 7 ⅔ innings down at Triple-A and has walked multiple batters in four of his five appearances.
So, it is a bit surprising to see the Cubs call up Little since his walk rate has not improved. He has also allowed some hard contact to start the season, as his average exit velocity (90.6 mph) and zone-contact rate (86.7%) rank poorly.
As for Rolison, he has earned this opportunity after a dominant spring and a few solid appearances to start the Triple-A season. The Cubs claimed the left-hander off waivers in early January, and he quickly made a strong impression on the mound.
After struggling with a 7.02 ERA across 42 ⅓ innings pitched with the Colorado Rockies last year, Rolison will now get another chance to display his potential in the Majors.
The 28-year-old showed some nice things in his five appearances with the Iowa Cubs. He allowed three runs across 7 ⅓ innings (3.68 ERA) while having a solid strikeout rate (30.6%), an elite whiff rate (35.9%), and a 91st percentile hard-hit rate (20%).
If Rolison can carry this over to the big leagues, he could be here to stay.