Mj Melendez headline unavailable from verified facts
mj melendez sits outside the Cubs’ roster news, but the club still made a day of movement before facing the Dodgers. Vince Velasquez was selected at 7:32 PM, while Caleb Thielbar went on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain.
The same sequence also sent Scott Kingery off the 40-man roster, a move that opened the spot needed to add Nicky Lopez earlier in the evening. Porter Hodge went to the 60-day injured list in the earlier wave of transactions.
Velasquez Returns to the Cubs
Velasquez gives Chicago another right-handed arm after the club turned to him despite uneven recent results. He last pitched in the majors in 2023 with Pittsburgh, and before that he logged 35 innings in the KBO with the Lotte Giants and posted an 8.23 ERA.
The Cubs are carrying that arm because the roster needed it. They selected him after Lopez was already added to the 40-man roster at 6:28 PM, keeping the infield move and the pitching move tied together on the same day.
Lopez Joins the 40-Man
Lopez arrived from the Rockies the day before and stepped into Chicago’s roster picture quickly. He is in his seventh MLB season, had 14 appearances with the Cubs last year, and brings a track record built more on contact and defense than power, with a career 73 wRC+ and a 14.3% strikeout rate.
He also brings speed history. From 2021 to 2022, Lopez stole 35 bases and was caught nine times, a useful add for a club managing bench and matchup options while moving players on and off the 40-man roster.
Kingery, Hodge, and Thielbar
Kingery’s path moved in the opposite direction at 6:28 PM, when he was optioned to Triple-A Iowa and then designated for assignment at 7:32 PM to clear another spot. His 72 wRC+ helps explain why the Cubs had room to shuffle the bench as Lopez came in.
Thielbar’s move was the most direct injury hit. He landed on the 15-day IL with a left hamstring strain, and Hodge’s transfer to the 60-day IL added another layer of roster space management for Craig Counsell’s club before the Dodgers game.
The practical effect is immediate: Chicago added Velasquez, kept Lopez on the 40-man, and absorbed two injured-list moves while clearing out Kingery. For a game-day roster, that is a full set of changes in a few hours, and it leaves the Cubs with a different pitching mix and a thinner bench than they had when the day started.
