Cubs designate longtime infielder for assignment, add to pitching depth
The Cubs went through some roster shake-up before Friday’s 6-3 win over the Marlins.
In addition to promoting infielder Luis Vázquez from Triple-A Iowa, the Cubs also designated veteran infielder David Bote for assignment.
The Bote move cleared up room on the 40-man roster for new waiver claim Gavin Hollowell, a right-handed pitcher who was subsequently optioned to Triple-A Iowa. Bote could be back with the team if he clears waivers and accepts an assignment to the minor leagues or he could become a free agent and sign with another organization.
Bote has spent the last 13 years with the Cubs as one of the longest-tenured players in the organization. He was an 18th-round pick of the team back in the 2012 Draft.
[WATCH: Craig Counsell explains the Cubs’ recent roster moves]
Back in 2019, Bote signed an extension with the Cubs that paid him $15 million total and kept him under team control through the 2026 season (with a pair of team options for 2025-26). The Cubs weren’t going to pick up the options after this season, so he was set to become a free agent at the end of the year.
Bote, 31, arrived on the scene in 2018 as a great success story for the organization’s player development as a late-round pick who established himself as a valuable role player in the big leagues.
He was a solid fill-in for Kris Bryant in 2018 when injuries struck and also delivered one of the most memorable moments in recent Cubs history with the ultimate grand slam in August 2018 against the Nationals.
Bote served as a solid bench option and occasional starter for the team through the 2022 season but spent all of last year in the minor leagues. He began 2024 in Triple-A but was recalled in June to provide another right-handed option off the bench.
He has not played much, amassing only 48 plate appearances over the last 3 months. The Cubs have rarely faced left-handed starting pitchers – especially lately – so Bote has not found his name in the lineup often.
Craig Counsell admitted that Bote’s role changed a bit when the Cubs traded Christopher Morel for Isaac Paredes. Bote had been seeing some time at third base as a starter or as a defensive replacement as the Cubs utilized Morel more as a designated hitter. But with Paredes in tow, he has been playing every day and does not come out for defensive purposes.
“He was thankful for the opportunity after a couple years with the minor leagues,” Craig Counsell told reporters before Friday’s game in Miami. “Really, the trade at the deadline kinda changed his role. He had carved out a little role and was doing a good job of it and post-trade, the at-bats just kinda went away. And that was a reason for the move as well.”
Hollowell is a 26-year-old pitcher who has a bit of MLB experience (32 games), though he sports a 6.20 ERA in those 40.2 innings.
He began his career with the Rockies, where he was a 6th-round pick back in 2019. The Diamondbacks claimed him off waivers in June and he was solid in 18 appearances for the Arizona Triple-A affiliate (3.63 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 24 strikeouts in 17.1 innings).
“He’s an optionable reliever,” Counsell said. “There are some ingredients that we like, some things that we think we can help him with. I think we gotta get him aboard and see that first but he’s going to Iowa. And so he’ll start doing that there.”