According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, the Cubs are calling up reliever Shane Greene to their major-league club as they hope to hang onto one of the final wild card spots.
September call up news: The Cubs are promoting veteran righty Shane Greene, 34, who has been starting at Triple-A Iowa, sources tell ESPN. He hasn't started a big league game since 2016. In the interim, he's saved 67, mostly for the Tigers. Story of great perseverance.
— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) August 31, 2023
What’s crazy about this story is Shane Greene has been starting for the Cubs AAA affiliate, something he hasn’t done in the majors since 2016. However, he has done plenty of damage as a reliever, both good and bad.
Greene was acquired by the Braves in 2019, which was a season where he was an All-Star closer for the Tigers, posting a 1.18 ERA. Unfortunately, regression hit him in the face when he came to Atlanta. He lost the job as the team’s closer rather quickly and ended the season with a 4.01 ERA with the Braves. Greene was much better during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, posting a 2.60 ERA over 28 appearances. However, he was abysmal in 2021 and was eventually released before being claimed by the Dodgers, where he’s pitched sparingly over the last two seasons.
In June, Shane Greene inked a minor-league pact with the Cubs, and the club has decided to turn him back into a starter. He’s made five starts in Iowa and owns an excellent 2.16 ERA, earning the call-up. At 34 years old, this is one of the more intriguing storylines coming down the stretch, as the Cubs are currently 2.5 games clear of the Diamondbacks for the final wild card spot in the National League.
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Photo: David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire
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