Cubs Roster Moves: Martin to IL, Velasquez DFA, Barnes & Ríos Added

The hits just keep on comin’ for the Cubs, who have placed lefty reliever Riley Martin on the IL with elbow inflammation. They promoted lefty Charlie Barnes to take his place on the roster, but they had to make other moves to get another fresh arm in the bullpen. Vince Velasquez, who was just promoted yesterday and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in mop-up duty, has been designated for assignment to clear a spot for Yacksel Ríos.

The 32-year-old righty has pitched parts of five MLB seasons, but hasn’t appeared in a big league game since 2023 with Oakland. He signed a minor league deal with the Cubs in January and has a 5.06 ERA with eight strikeouts, six walks, and four home runs allowed in 10.2 innings with Triple-A Iowa. There were some thoughts that Phil Maton might be activated today, but it looks like Ríos is a very temporary solution instead.

This game of musical chairs is going to continue for a while, as the Cubs are still missing several top relievers and don’t have anyone left on the 40-man to come up and pitch.