Right-hander Kyle Wright is joining the Cubs on a minor league deal with an invite to big league camp, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post. The CAA client is looking to make it back to the majors for the first time in three years.
Wright is a former fifth overall pick who won an MLB-high 21 games for the Braves in 2022. He finished 10th in Cy Young balloting behind 180 1/3 innings of 3.19 ERA ball with nearly a strikeout per inning. He seemed to be a foundational piece in Atlanta before injuries set his career off course. Wright was limited to nine appearances in 2023. He underwent shoulder surgery at year’s end and the Braves pulled the plug, flipping him to the Royals over the 2023-24 offseason.
The 30-year-old spent two seasons in the K.C. organization without throwing a major league pitch. He missed the entire ’24 campaign rehabbing the surgery, as the Royals knew he would at the time. Last season was supposed to be his rebound year, but he battled some lingering shoulder fatigue early and remained on the injured list into late June. The Royals optioned him to Triple-A and he went back on the IL after suffering an oblique injury.
This is little more than a dart throw for the Cubs after Wright’s trio of injury-plagued seasons. His fastball in Triple-A last year was down at 92 mph, three ticks below where it had been when he was a rotation fixture for Atlanta. Chicago will see how the stuff looks if he’s able to string together some starts at Triple-A Iowa.
