The Chicago Cubs non-tendered LHP Jack Leathersich on Wednesday, according to Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
Leathersich was not even arbitration-eligible, but the Cubs decided to non-tender him anyway, ending his time in the organization after just two weeks.
It could be the Cubs had some concerns about his elbow surgery once they claimed him and were allowed to access and review his medical records.
Leathersich is now free to sign with any team he wants.
November 19
The Chicago Cubs have claimed left-handed reliever Jack Leathersich off waivers from the New York Mets. Leathersich underwent Tommy John surgery on his left elbow on July 30th this year and will miss a significant portion of the 2016 season.
The Mets tried to slip him through waivers as they try to trim the 40-man roster down in preparation for tomorrow’s 3:00 PM deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 draft. The Mets 40-man roster now sits at 35 players.
Leathersich appeared in 17 games for the Mets this year posting a 2.31 ERA and 1.629 WHIP in 11.2 innings. He has an outstanding 356 strikeouts in 210.2 minor league innings but also has 115 walks in that span.
The Mets sent Leathersich down to the Las Vegas 51’s on June 28th and one day later he gave up six runs in two innings of work while throwing a season high 57 pitches. Leathersich was diagnosed with a torn UCL the next day by team doctors. He was the Mets fifth round pick in 2011 and made his Major League debut on April 29th of this year.
