A few days after the New York Mets designated infielder Gabriel Arias for assignment, the Chicago Cubs claimed him off waivers, and now he’s on the 26-man active roster for Craig Counsell. Arias, 26, is now on his third team in 2026, beginning the year with the Cleveland Guardians before spending a brief stint with the Mets.
Arias hasn’t been much of a hitter throughout his MLB career, coming in with a slash line of .218/.274/.358 with 30 home runs in 364 games. The right-handed hitter strikes out a ton, with a 34.3 K% in his career and a 41.7 K% in 44 games this year, but the Cubs didn’t acquire him for his bat. The defense has been solid at shortstop, and his versatility around the infield, where he’s at least average in every spot, plus a little experience in the outfield, gives Counsell flexibility on the bench.
To be clear, Arias won’t be starting much, if at all, and could likely be out once Matt Shaw returns from his rehab assignment as he works back from a wrist injury. In the meantime, Arias will serve as the primary backup in the middle of the diamond, as Nico Hoerner has been and will continue to be the shortstop, with Pedro Ramirez at second base until Dansby Swanson returns from his left oblique strain.
The Cubs are hopeful that Swanson can come back in the middle of September, about four weeks from the time he suffered the muscle injury against the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 16.
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By the way, looking at the splits, Arias is actually better against right-handed pitching than left-handed pitching, slashing .243/.300/.391 with 22 home runs in 782 plate appearances vs. righties compared to .169/.223/.292 slash line with eight home runs in 391 plate appearances vs. lefties.
If Arias sticks around as a potential bench guy for the Cubs, he is under team control through the 2029 season. However, Arias has no minor league options remaining, so if the Cubs remove him from the active roster, they would have to designate him for assignment.
Arias is taking Owen Miller’s spot on the bench. Miller signed a minor league contract with the Cubs this year and spent the entire season at Triple-A until this past week, when he was called up after the Swanson injury. Maybe it’s the age, but the Cubs preferred Arias over the 29-year-old, who has spent time in the majors in prior seasons with the Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers, and Colorado Rockies.
Miller’s only appearance with the Cubs came in Monday’s 7-5 win over the White Sox when he played second base in the 10th inning. Miller was designated for assignment to make room for Arias.
