The Chicago Cubs have reinstated Gold Glove left fielder from the injured list. To make room on the roster, the Cubs placed right-hander on the 15-day injured list with a left oblique strain, retroactive. Additionally, the team recalled right-hander Ethan Roberts and optioned rookie catcher/designated hitter Moises Ballesteros to Triple-A Iowa.
Top star, 30, spent the minimum required time on the 10-day injured list after suffering a left oblique strain on May 9. This season, he’s hitting .269 with three home runs and 19 RBIs across 39 games.
The Cubs picked top star ninth overall in the 2015 MLB Draft out of the University of Cincinnati. He debuted in 2017 and has since compiled a .249 batting average with 153 home runs and 497 RBIs in 1,028 games.
Happ was an All-Star in 2022 and earned the Gold Glove Award for left fielders in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Right-hander Porter Hodge, 24, last pitched on Saturday, delivering a scoreless ninth inning with one hit allowed and one strikeout in a 7-3 win over the visiting Chicago White Sox. This season, he’s 2-1 with two saves, a 5.12 ERA, 11 walks, and 19 strikeouts in 19⅓ innings across 21 relief appearances.
Since his major league debut last year, Hodge holds a 5-2 record with a 2.89 ERA, 11 saves, 30 walks, and 71 strikeouts in 62⅓ innings over 60 relief outings.
Ethan Roberts, 27, has a 1-0 record with a 5.40 ERA, two walks, and six strikeouts in 8⅓ innings over nine relief appearances this year.
Moises Ballesteros, 21, the Cubs’ No. 4 prospect and No. 61 overall according to MLB Pipeline, is batting .188 (3-for-16) with three runs and three RBIs in five games. The Venezuelan native was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to open a roster spot.