The Chicago Cubs have called up left-handed pitcher Braxton Garrett, who they acquired at the trade deadline in a deal with the Miami Marlins, Garrett, 29, has only pitched in two MLB games this year after coming back from elbow surgery that knocked him out of action for the entire 2025 season. The lefty has been pitching at Triple-A, and now he’s up for the Cubs, who are in the middle of playing 17 consecutive games without a day off.
Thursday’s makeup game against the Toronto Blue Jays follows the Cubs’ sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers. We’ll see how long Garrett remains on the active roster, as he is currently taking Tyler Ferguson’s spot in the bullpen. The swap makes sense as the Cubs need as many fresh arms as possible during this stretch without an off day, and Ferguson threw on back-to-back days against the Dodgers, including two shutout innings in Wednesday’s 7-6 win.
It’s been a long road back for Garrett, who pitched in only seven games during the 2024 season before being sidelined with an arm injury. Obviously, that didn’t improve, and the left-handed pitcher eventually needed to undergo surgery in the offseason: a revision of his left ulnar collateral ligament.
The Marlins optioned Garrett to Triple-A to begin the 2026 season, and in the middle of May, he was called up to start in the majors for the first time in nearly two years. It didn’t go well; actually, it was really bad for Garrett, who gave up five runs on four hits and five walks in 1.1 innings against the Minnesota Twins. His second start was a three-inning effort against the Atlanta Braves, giving up two runs.
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Garrett has been back in Triple-A ever since, and overall in 2026 his numbers have been great in the minors. The lefty has a 2.90 ERA with a 26.4 K% in 77.2 innings.
He has had success at the major league level, as Garrett recorded a 3.63 ERA in 247.2 innings between 2022-23. That stretch included a 23.8 K% and a low walk rate of 5.1%.
The Cubs will have a handful of pitchers coming back from the injured list in August, so we’ll see how Garrett’s fits into the puzzle. He does have minor league options remaining, so the Cubs can ultimately option him back to Triple-A Iowa to make room on the active roster.
