Cubs Designate Hoby Milner For Assignment

The Cubs have designated left-hander Hoby Milner for assignment, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Milner was on the 15-day injured list. Chicago’s 40-man roster count drops to 39.

Milner, 35, signed with the Cubs this offseason. It’s a one-year deal with a $3.75MM salary. The lefty made 38 appearances for the club before hitting the IL in June due to an appendectomy. He started a rehab assignment at the end of July. A rehab assignment for a pitcher has a 30-day limit. With that window coming to a close, it seems the Cubs have decided they don’t want to put Milner back on the roster.

With the trade deadline having passed, Milner will have to be placed on waivers in the coming days. It’s possible he could garner some interest based on his track record. He has generally been a solid lefty reliever for a few seasons but this year’s numbers are down a bit.

From 2022 to 2025, Milner tossed 264 innings between the Brewers and Rangers, allowing 3.55 earned runs per nine. He doesn’t have huge velocity, with his four-seamer and sinker both averaging below 90 miles per hour, but got good results nonetheless. In that four-year span, his 22.6% strikeout rate was around average but his 5.8% walk rate and 51.1% ground ball rate were both really strong.

As a Cub, before hitting the IL, he posted a solid 3.53 ERA in 35 2/3 innings. However, he may have been a bit lucky there. His 6% walk rate this year is still good but his 43.6% ground ball rate is closer to average and his strikeout rate has fallen all the way to 12.1%. If it weren’t for a fortunate .261 batting average on balls in play and 79.2% strand rate, he would have allowed more runs to cross the plate. His 4.54 FIP and 4.66 SIERA suggest there’s some reason for pessimism regarding the ERA.

Milner is still owed about $600K on this year’s deal. Though his numbers are down a bit this year, perhaps some club would be willing to grab him from the wire since it’s hard to add talent after the deadline. If he clears waivers, he would have the right to elect free agency while still being paid the remainder of that salary. If he is with another club by September 1, he would be postseason eligible with that team, even if it’s just a minor league deal.