MILWAUKEE – The Chicago Cubs today activated catcher Austin Romine off the 10-day injured list, activated right-handed pitcher Jason Adam off the COVID-19 related injured list and selected right-handed pitcher Shelby Miller from the South Bend Alternate Site. In corresponding moves, catcher Tony Wolters has been designated for assignment, and right-handed pitcher Adbert Alzolay and left-handed pitcher Brad Wieck have been optioned to the alternate site.
Romine, 32, was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right knee sprain, April 1 (retroactive to March 29), after appearing in three Spring Training games. In nine Spring Training at-bats, he batted .333 (3-for-9) with a home run and three RBI. Romine signed a one-year major league contract with the Cubs, January 22 of this year.
Romine has played all or part of nine seasons with the Yankees (2011, 2013-19) and Tigers (2020), hitting .239 (278-for-1,163) with 59 doubles, 27 home runs and 152 RBI in 405 major league games. He has posted a .996 fielding percentage (12 E/2,951 TC) behind the plate for his career, and last season was the only catcher with at least 300.0 innings at the position without an error committed.
The right-handed hitting Romine last year batted .238 (31-for-130) with two home runs and 17 RBI in 37 games for the Tigers following a 2019 campaign for the Yankees in which he batted .281 (64-for-228) with 12 doubles, eight home runs and 35 RBI in 72 games. In 2018 for New York, Romine set career marks with 10 home runs, 42 RBI and 22 extra-base hits in 77 contests.
Adam, 29, was placed on the COVID-19 related injured list on Monday. He has no record and a 2.45 ERA (1 ER/3.2 IP) in four outings for Chicago thus far, walking two and striking out seven.
Since signing with the Cubs in January 2020, Adam is 2-1 with a 3.12 ERA (6 ER/17.1 IP) in 17 relief appearances with 10 walks and 28 strikeouts, good for an average of 14.5 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched. He made his major league debut with Kansas City in 2018 and is 5-4 with a 4.42 ERA (35 ER/71.1 IP) in 71 career big league relief appearances with the Royals (2018), Blue Jays (2019) and Cubs (2020-21). Adam has struck out 83 in 71.1 innings, an average of 10.5 strikeouts per 9.0 innings.
Miller, 30, signed a minor league deal with the Cubs this February and was 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA (2 ER/12.0 IP), six walks and 16 strikeouts in seven Spring Training games (two starts). He spent time during the 2020 season at the Brewers alternate site but did not appear with the major league club. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in May of 2017, Miller returned to action with Arizona in 2018 before making 19 appearances (eight starts) for Texas in 2019.
Miller is 38-56 with a 4.11 ERA (346 ER/758.1 IP) and five complete game shutouts in 150 career major league games (132 starts) with the Cardinals (2012-14), Braves (2015), Diamondbacks (2016-18) and Rangers (2019). He was named a 2015 N.L. All-Star with Atlanta, a season in which he was among the N.L. leaders in innings (8th, 205.1), quality starts (T-10th, 21), ERA (11th, 3.02) and opponent batting average (11th, .238).
Alzolay, 26, is 0-2 with a 6.10 ERA (7 ER/10.1 IP) in two starts this season, walking three and striking out 10. In parts of three major league seasons with the Cubs starting in 2019, he is 2-4 with a 4.91 ERA (24 ER/44.0 IP) in 12 games (eight starts).
Wieck, 29, made his season debut on Monday for Chicago, tossing a scoreless inning of relief in Milwaukee. He is 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA (6 ER/12.0 IP) in 16 relief appearances for the Cubs in parts of the last three seasons after being traded from the San Diego Padres on July of 2019 for Carl Edwards Jr.
Wolters, 28, signed with the Cubs on March 31. He was hitless in four at-bats and appeared in three games for Chicago this season.
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