Wow, I’m not really sure what the Baltimore Orioles saw in Vidal Brujan enough to claim him off waivers, but the ex-Cubs failure has a new MLB gig. Brujan, who was designated for assignment last week by the Cubs ahead of the trade deadline, is now on Baltimore’s active roster.
The Orioles picked up the 27-year-old utility man and I guess they just need a warm body after their sell off at the trade deadline.
Brujan appeared in 36 games with the Cubs in 2025. He made 10 total starts and was pretty much a non-factor off the bench. He ended his time with the Cubs by slashing .222/.234/.289, in 47 plate appearances. Just another example in the long list of back up players that have been awful on the Cubs during the past few years.
The Cubs originally acquired Brujan in the offseason, trading Matt Mervis to the Miami Marlins in exchange for the former top prospect.
(Previous Update)
All right, so it turns out that the Chicago Cubs are not going to place left fielder Ian Happ on the injured list. Happ fouled a ball off his left shin during Tuesday night’s 9-3 loss against the Milwaukee Brewers and was removed from the game during his eighth-inning at-bat. The reporting after the game seemed weird because within an hour things went from Happ is doing well after x-rays came back negative to Jesse Rogers saying Happ would need a stint on the injured list.
Nope Happ is still on the active roster, but the Cubs did call up one of their top prospects. Rogers was correct as Moises Ballesteros has joined the team in Milwaukee for Wednesday’s series finale. Instead of taking Happ’s spot, Ballesteros is replacing Vidal Brujan, who was designated for assignment.
You have to think that Happ is still pretty sore and won’t be starting Wednesday. The Cubs have Thursday off before they begin a weekend series back home against the Baltimore Orioles. Happ likely needs a few days to rest the shin, but a 10-day stint on the injured list would be too long. So, instead of having Brujan fill in as a lefty option off the bench for a handful of days the Cubs are going to give Ballesteros those plate appearances.
The Cubs acquired Brujan during the offseason in a trade with the Miami Marlins. Matt Mervis was dealt to the Marlins in exchange for the 27-year-old utility man and he’s brought close to nothing of value for the 2025 Cubs. Brujan only played in 36 games this year, starting a total of 10 times, and he didn’t accomplish much on the field. Brujan slashed .222/.234/.289, in 174 plate appearances.
He never hit with the Tampa Bay Rays, didn’t really hit with the Marlins and I wish he never would have been given the chance to hit with the Cubs. See ya, Vidal!
