The Reds have claimed righty Luke Farrell off waivers from the Cubs, per a team announcement. Cincinnati already had an open spot on the 40-man roster, so a corresponding move wasn’t required.
Farrell, 31, has spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues. This will be his second stint with the Reds, for whom he pitched in nine games back in 2017. The son of former Red Sox skipper John Farrell, Luke has totaled 98 2/3 innings at the MLB level and posted a 4.83 ERA with a 23.3% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate. He’d tossed 11 innings with the Cubs this season, allowing five runs on a dozen hits and three walks with nine punchouts.
Two of Farrell’s four appearances with the Cubs were starts, and he worked multiple innings in every outing with Chicago dating back to late August. He’s maxed out at 71 pitches during this stretch, so he could give the Reds an option to make a spot start, if needed, or otherwise provide some length in the bullpen. Farrell is out of minor league options, so he can’t be sent down to Triple-A without first clearing waivers; he’d need to be designated for assignment if Cincinnati wishes to remove him from the 28-man roster at any point.
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