Back in June the Chicago Cubs signed veteran pitcher Shane Greene to a minor league contract and now they’re calling up the 34-year-old righty to start one of the games against the Cincinnati Reds during Friday’s double header.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers confirmed the news on Thursday.
Since joining the Cubs organization earlier this summer, Greene has appeared in seven total games in the team’s minor league system, including five starts with the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A.
In those five games at Triple-A, Greene has recorded a 2.16 ERA, allowing four earned runs in 16.2 innings. The righty has struck out 20 batters and walked nine with Iowa, while holding hitters to a .200 batting average. All four earned runs he gave up came in one start, on Aug. 16, when Greene walked four and gave up four hits in 2.2 innings.
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In Greene’s last two starts, he’s been great, giving up no earned runs in nine innings, with 12 strikeouts and three walks.
The veteran right-hander made single appearances with the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees in 2022, while pitching in 27 combined games at Triple-A and then went un-signed this past offseason.
In his prime years, Greene was an excellent set-up man and closer with the Tigers. From 2017-20, the right-handed reliever posted a 3.25 ERA in 221.1 innings. During those four seasons Greene recorded 64 saves and 33 holds, as he struck out 24.2 percent of the batters he faced.
After making the 2019 American League All-Star team as the lone representative for the Tigers, Greene was dealt to the Atlanta Braves at the trade deadline in exchange for Joey Wentz and outfielder Travis Demeritte. The Braves used Greene as their set-up man and he was fine, posting a 4.01 ERA in 27 relief outings down the stretch for Atlanta. In 2020, Greene had a great season, posting a 2.60 ERA in 27.2 innings.
However, since the beginning of the 2021 season, Greene has quickly declined and in the past two seasons he’s thrown a total of 26.2 innings with the Braves, Dodgers and Yankees, respectively. However, it seems like the Cubs have been able to get Greene on the right track again and he’ll at least get one start to prove he can contribute down the stretch.
Greene made his MLB debut back in 2014 with the Yankees. In his rookie season, Greene made 14 starts and one relief appearance and had a productive year. The righty had a 3.78 ERA in 78.2 innings. On December 5, 2014, the Yankees traded Greene to the Tigers in a three-team deal that sent Robbie Ray and Domingo Leyba to the Arizona Diamondbacks and Didi Gregorius to the New York.
In nine MLB seasons Greene has a 4.53 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 470.2 innings. As a reliever, he has a career 4.03 ERA in 297.1 innings, striking out close to 10 batters per nine innings.
Greene was selected in the 15th round of the 2009 draft by the Yankees.
Update
The Cubs officially brought Shane Greene to their active roster in time for Friday’s double header against the Reds.
However, to most observer’s surprise, the 34-year-old did not pitch in the second game. Instead, the Cubs opted to go with José Cuas as an opener, facing three batters before left-hander Drew Smyly came in.
Smyly tossed three innings and after Hayden Wesneski pitched 3.1 innings of his own, David Ross went to his high leverage relievers late in the game.
Greene was never warming up in the bullpen. So much for all that speculation that he’d either be starting or pitching the bulk of the innings Friday night.
