Betting on high-velocity upside and past dominance, Chicago adds the southpaw to bolster Triple-A depth while searching for the relief form that once fueled his breakout.
The Chicago Cubs have been active in trying to add more pitchers.
Given all the pitcher injuries they have dealt with so far this season, the Cubs are continuing to add pitching depth down at Triple-A. The front office remains active in claiming pitchers off waivers.
Last week, the North Siders claimed left-handed pitcher Doug Nikhazy off waivers after the Chicago White Sox designated him for assignment. Nikhazy is just 26 years old and allowed just one run across two innings with the White Sox this year.
The Cubs were able to scoop him up and option him to Triple-A Iowa. Although the southpaw gave up eight runs across 2 ⅔ innings in his first appearance with the Iowa Cubs, he gives Chicago much-needed pitching depth in the Minors.
The Cubs also recently claimed another pitcher off waivers late on Sunday night. Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reported that the team claimed left-hander Luis Peralta off waivers.
Peralta was first designated for assignment by the Colorado Rockies on April 21. The St. Louis Cardinals claimed him off waivers just a few days later before they designated him for assignment on May 1.
It has been a rough start to the season for Peralta. He has already been designated for assignment twice and has allowed 10 earned runs across 6 ⅓ innings pitched at Triple-A. The left-hander has no doubt struggled on the mound in the early going.
Those struggles even date back to the 2025 season, where the 25-year-old had a 9.47 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 19 innings for the Rockies. He gave up a ton of hard contact (50.8% hard-hit rate), and opposing hitters had an expected .309 batting average against him.
However, Peralta has shown his potential in the big leagues before.
Back in 2024, Peralta had a 0.73 ERA and 14 strikeouts in his first 15 career relief appearances. He only gave up one run across 12 ⅓ innings of work and had a solid 28.6% strikeout rate to go with a .197 expected batting average against.
That’s why the Cubs claimed Peralta off waivers on Sunday night. He has the tools to become a solid big league reliever, with a fastball that reaches 97 mph and a curveball with plenty of potential.
Peralta will be optioned to Triple-A Iowa to start his career in this organization. He will continue to develop in the Minors and provide the Cubs with some much-needed left-handed pitching depth at Triple-A.
The left-hander is also the younger brother of New York Mets star Freddy Peralta.