The Chicago Cubs bullpen is shaky right now, barely getting by as we head into the All-Star break. Injuries have certainly complicated matters, as the Cubs have been forced to dig deep into their depth chart and look outside their organization for additional help since the start of the 2026 season. One reliever who has stepped up and is showing signs of becoming a real secret weapon for Craig Counsell out of the bullpen is Tyler Ferguson.
It’s a small sample size- eight innings in eight appearances- but as an observer, you can’t help but notice the excellent work Ferguson has produced for the Cubs. The right-handed pitcher tossed a scoreless inning in Monday’s series-opening 5-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles. He retired the side with relative ease, only needing eight pitches to get three outs, which included a strikeout of Pete Alonso.
Ferguson now has 11 strikeouts with no walks in his eight innings to begin his Cubs career. He has allowed two home runs, including a three-run shot off Jordan Walker’s bat in Sunday’s series finale at Wrigley Field against the St. Louis Cardinals, but seeing a Cubs reliever actually record strikeouts is very welcome.
By far the most encouraging aspect of Ferguson’s early success has been the walks. Zero surrendered against 31 batters faced. That has been an issue for Ferguson throughout his career; whether in the minors or with the Athletics, he had the strikeout ability but also carried a walk rate near 13%.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
He will give up hard contact, but as long as Ferguson racks up strikeouts and keeps the walks in check, he’ll remain in the bullpen that desperately needs anyone to step up amid this year’s chaos.
Cubs Trade for Tyler Ferguson
This move isn’t sexy; you have most likely never heard of him, but like Tyson Miller and Drew Pomeranz, the Chicago Cubs are hoping they’ve gotten another hidden gem with right-handed reliever Tyler Ferguson.
The Cubs made a minor trade with the Athletics, sending cash considerations in exchange for Ferguson. The 32-year-old pitcher has made only one relief appearance this year, and it was awful: Ferguson gave up four earned runs on four hits, including two home runs, to the Philadelphia Phillies.
No, the 27.00 ERA won’t give Cubs fans much confidence that Ferguson will amount to much, and his numbers in 2025 weren’t all that good either. However, Ferguson has shown some flashes of success with an above-average strikeout rate and the ability to avoid heavy damage.
In 2024, Ferguson recorded a 3.68 ERA in 51.1 innings. He struck out 62 batters in 48 games and held opposing hitters to a .178 batting average. The results dipped in 2025, as the right-hander recorded a 4.88 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 58 innings. Yet, Ferguson did have an incredible start to the year, posting a 0.52 ERA through his first 17.1 innings.
He had a couple of rough outings throughout the 2025 season: five earned runs in one inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers on May 14, and six earned runs in 0.2 innings against the Houston Astros on June 18. However, Ferguson bounced back in a big way during the Athletics’ final two months after his demotion to Triple-A.
From Aug. 9 through the end of the year, Ferguson recorded a 1.57 ERA in 23 innings. The righty didn’t give up any home runs during that stretch, and hitters couldn’t really square him up, as they only had a 3.6 barrel% and 26.8 hard hit% against Ferguson, while generating an average exit velocity of 86.6mph.
That being said, the walks are a concern. His 25.6 K% from 2024-25 is good, but the 12.8 BB% ranked fourth-worst among all qualified relievers in those two seasons. Even when Ferguson was shutting down hitters to end last year, the walks were high, 12 in 23 innings. So, he was wildly effective, but you definitely want the walks to come down if the Cubs want Ferguson to succeed for long stretches.
Ferguson features five pitches: a four-seam fastball, a sweeper, a sinker, a changeup, and a cutter. He averaged 96.1mph in his rookie year, but that’s settled into the 95mph range since last season. Ferguson does have a minor league option remaining, so the Cubs can stash him away in Triple-A and bring him up and down if he struggles.
He certainly has the arm talent to suddenly become a guy, but the Cubs will probably want to work on a few things to reduce the walks. Ferguson has some high-leverage experience, earning four saves and 23 holds during his time with the Athletics.
Overall in his career, Ferguson has a 25.4 K%, 12.6 BB%, and 4.47 ERA in 110.2 innings.
