The Cubs have added another arm to the mix, claiming right-hander Julian Aguiar off waivers from the Reds, according to Cincinnati. Chicago will need to clear a spot on its 40-man roster to make the move official.
Aguiar’s path to this point has been anything but smooth. A 12th-round pick in the 2021 draft, he reached the majors with the Reds in 2024 and was hit hard in his first look, putting up a 6.25 ERA across seven starts and 31 2/3 innings. Then came the elbow sprain in September, followed by Tommy John surgery, which wiped out his entire 2025 season.
The injury issues didn’t stop there. Aguiar’s 2026 season was interrupted by more setbacks, leaving him with just 58 minor league innings before he finally got back to the big leagues last week.
In that return outing, he allowed two earned runs over three innings of relief in Cincinnati’s 6-4 win over the Cubs on September 18. He was sent back to Triple-A the next day.
Chicago’s claim comes with the postseason in mind, though Aguiar is not eligible for the Cubs’ playoff roster. That means this could be more about setting up pitching depth for 2027.
There is also a chance he could appear in the Cubs’ season finale tomorrow, when they face the Red Sox at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, with the club possibly choosing to keep its more established pitchers fresh for the playoffs.
The big-league numbers are still a small sample, but they haven’t been pretty: a 6.23 ERA in 34 2/3 career MLB innings. His minor league track record is better, though his Triple-A work has been uneven.
Over 94 1/3 innings at the top level of the minors, Aguiar has posted a 5.34 ERA with a 20.88% strikeout rate and a 10.9% walk rate. That stretch was split almost evenly before and after his Tommy John surgery, with the stronger results coming before the operation.
There’s still a chance Aguiar’s 2026 season was more about shaking off the rust than revealing a ceiling. If he gets back to full health, he could still be a useful piece for Chicago, whether that ends up being as rotation depth at Triple-A or as a long-relief option in the majors. He has started 87 of his 101 career games, which gives the Cubs a look at a pitcher with some starter history if they decide to keep him around.
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