Hey, hey, this is pretty cool for BJ Murray, who was promoted from Triple-A and officially added to the Chicago Cubs’ active roster on Tuesday. Murray, who was drafted by the Cubs in 2021, will be making his MLB debut against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.
The 26-year-old will now give Craig Counsell even more flexibility on the bench as Murray is a switch-hitter who can play both corner positions in the infield and outfield. However, Murray will be the Cubs’ designated hitter against left-handed starting pitcher Robert Gasser.
Counsell is sticking with his lefty mashers in the starting lineup, with Tyrone Taylor getting the nod in left field in place of Ian Happ for the second straight game. Matt Shaw is in at second base, filling in for Pedro Ramirez, while the only other change from Monday’s lineup is the addition of Murray.
One note regarding the lineup that may be leaving some fans confused is the absence of rookie Pedro Ramirez. He didn’t play in Monday night’s 17-3 win and isn’t starting on Tuesday night either. At first glance, you would have thought that it was simply a matchup decision, as Shaw has better numbers against left-handed starters, but the Cubs did say that Ramirez has been dealing with back spasms.
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So, we’ll keep an eye on Ramirez’s status moving forward. In the meantime, Shaw will continue to play at second base, while Nico Hoerner fills in for Dansby Swanson at shortstop.
Murray has been great from both sides of the plate with the Iowa Cubs this year, so hopefully he’ll be able to contribute against Gasser, who has been hit hard by right-handed hitters in 2026. Murray has a slash line of .310.398/.500 in 118 plate appearances against lefties this season at Triple-A.
The Cubs have also added right-handed relief pitcher Tyler Ferguson to the active roster on Tuesday. Ferguson was acquired in a small trade with the Athletics earlier this season. In 16 games with the Cubs, Ferguson has posted a 3.45 ERA with a 19/2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He has given up three home runs in 15.2 innings, which is a bit of a red flag.
(Previous Update)
The Chicago Cubs are calling up switch-hitting prospect BJ Murray, who will officially be added to the team once rosters expand on Tuesday. Murray, who has been mashing at Triple-A so far in 2026, was at Wrigley Field taking batting practice before Monday night’s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. The 26-year-old was a 15th-round pick for the Cubs back in 2021 out of Florida Atlantic.
Murray has played in 118 games for the Iowa Cubs this year, posting a slash line of .294/.395/.500 with 16 home runs, 24 doubles and nine triples in 516 trips to the plate.
Some fans may recognize Murray from his time with Team Great Britain at the World Baseball Classic, as he participated in both the 2023 and 2026 tournaments. Murray is currently ranked the No. 19 prospect in the Cubs’ minor league system according to MLB Pipeline.
Murray will become only the 10th player in MLB history born in the Bahamas to reach the majors, and only the second in Cubs franchise history.
Murray will be able to provide some cover both in the corner outfield spots and the infield corner positions. He’s had an interesting journey in the minor leagues because just a few years ago Murray had a breakout season and seemed to be getting close to the show after posting a healthy 127 wRC+ at Double-A. However, Murray struggled mightily in 2024 at Triple-A, leading to a 2025 demotion back to Double-A with the Smokies.
He didn’t sulk, got back to work, and crushed opponents to the tune of a 138 wRC+ and returned to Triple-A this year, where he not only maintained his uptick in power, but he also continued to display an excellent eye at the plate. Across all levels of the minor leagues, Murray has recorded a career .372 OBP thanks to a 14.6% BB rate. His walk rate has been above 13% since 2022.
So, the Cubs will add Murray to their roster on Tuesday, and they’ll also add one more pitcher to complete their 28-man active roster for the final month of the regular season.
