Luke Little - MLB News, Rumors, & Updates

Snatched by Royals The Royals claimed Little off waivers from the Cubs on Thursday and optioned him to Triple-A Omaha.

Impact Little lost his spot on Chicago's 40-man roster in the flurry of moves following Monday's trade deadline, but he'll reclaim a roster spot upon joining the Royals organization. He'll begin his tenure with the team at Triple-A, where he's logged a 5.70 ERA and 1.81 WHIP over 23.2 innings.

AUGUST 6 • ROTOWIRE

Moved off 40-man roster The Cubs designated Little for assignment Monday.

Impact Little ended up being an odd man out for a spot on the 40-man roster after the Cubs brought Braxton Garrett, Tyrone Taylor, Clay Holmes (fibula) and Ryan Zeferjahn aboard in trades Monday. The 25-year-old lefty was up in the big leagues with the Cubs for a week in April but has otherwise spent the entire season in the minors, logging a 5.03 ERA and 1.68 WHIP in 39.1 innings between Triple-A Iowa and Double-A Knoxville.

AUGUST 4 • ROTOWIRE

Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd returns after being sidelined by biceps strain

Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd has returned from a strained left biceps

APRIL 22 • Associated Press

Sent back to minors The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Impact Little was with the big club for a week and made one appearance, allowing one run over one inning of work. He's clearing out to make space on the roster for Matthew Boyd (biceps), who is back from the injured list to start Wednesday's contest versus the Phillies.

APRIL 22 • ROTOWIRE

Summoned from minors The Cubs recalled Little from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday.

Impact Little boasts a 2.80 ERA with 44 strikeouts over 35.1 innings at the big-league level, but he's also issued 28 walks. Those control problems remained present in his first five outings with Iowa, as he had a 9:10 K:BB over 7.2 frames. It's unlikely Little will be trusted with high-leverage innings, but the Cubs were in need of fresh bullpen arms.

APRIL 14 • ROTOWIRE

Fails to make roster The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday.

Impact Little was unable to find his footing during spring training with four earned runs allowed over 4.2 frames, so he won't make Chicago's Opening Day bullpen. The 25-year-old made just wo big-league appearances last season but had a 3.46 ERA across 26 innings with the Cubs in 2024.

MARCH 12 • ROTOWIRE

Optioned to Iowa The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Impact Little's stint in the majors lasted only one day, and he allowed one unearned run while fanning four over two innings in Monday's loss to the Brewers. The big left-hander is being replaced on the active roster by Tom Cosgrove.

AUGUST 19, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Strikes out four in return to MLB Little allowed an unearned run on a hit and two walks across two innings of relief in a 7-0 loss to the Brewers in the first game of Monday's doubleheader. He struck out four.

Impact Making his first appearance in the majors since April 16, Little held his own and exhibited good swing-and-miss stuff. The big southpaw has struggled with command during his time with the Cubs, but if he can find the strike zone more consistently, he could emerge as a useful reliever due to his hard fastball from the left side. For now, Little figures to work in a low-leverage role while he's at the MLB level.

AUGUST 18, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Peralta earns MLB-best 15th win as Brewers blank Cubs 7-0. Game 2 of scheduled twinbill postponed

Freddy Peralta allowed one hit in six innings for his major league-leading 15th win, and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Chicago Cubs 7-0

AUGUST 18, 2025 • Associated Press

Cubs adjust pitching staff for doubleheader vs. Brewers The Chicago Cubs recalled left-hander Luke Little in advance of Monday's doubleheader against the Milwaukee Brewers, while right-hander Javi...

AUGUST 18, 2025 • THENEWSTRIBUNE.COM

Moves up to majors The Cubs recalled Little from Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Impact Little will rejoin the Cubs for the first time since April, after he walked four of the six batters he faced in his lone relief appearance for the big club before being optioned to Triple-A. Since joining Iowa, Little has been one of the affiliate's more productive relievers, logging a 2.66 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 53:24 K:BB in 44 innings over 31 appearances. He'll be ticketed for low-leverage work out of the Chicago bullpen.

AUGUST 18, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Cubs Predicted to Trade First-Round Pick, Prospects for All-Star Closer The Chicago Cubs could be making a major deal trading their first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, along with Kevin Alcantara and Luke Litt...

JUNE 30, 2025 • NEWSOBSERVER.COM

Cubs recall left-hander Jordan Wicks from Triple-A, option reliever Luke Little to the minors

The Chicago Cubs have recalled left-hander Jordan Wicks from Triple-A Iowa and optioned Luke Little to the minor league club on the heels of a shaky relief outing

APRIL 18, 2025 • Associated Press

Optioned to Triple-A The Cubs optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday.

Impact Little made just one appearance during his brief time with the big club and allowed one run while walking four over one-third of an inning. The Cubs will announced a corresponding roster move prior to Friday's game versus the Diamondbacks.

APRIL 18, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Struggles with command in debut Little allowed one run in relief and retired two batters during Wednesday's 4-2 loss to the Padres while also walking four.

Impact After getting recalled from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday with Eli Morgan (elbow) moving to the injured list, Little struggled to find the plate in his 2025 MLB debut. Command has been the lefty's weakness so far in the majors, as he posted a 5.4 BB/9 during a brief stint in 2023 and then followed that up with a 6.2 mark last year while logging more innings for the Cubs. Little has good stuff, but if he keeps walking batters at a high rate, he will remain a low-leverage reliever at best with limited fantasy upside.

APRIL 17, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Tatis and Machado each drive in 2 runs as the Padres beat the Cubs 4-2

Fernando Tatis Jr. and Manny Machado each drove in two runs and Nick Pivetta pitched six strong innings for the San Diego Padres, who beat the Chicago Cubs 4-2 to take two of three...

APRIL 16, 2025 • Associated Press

Cubs option top prospect Matt Shaw to Triple-A after disappointing start to third baseman's career

The Chicago Cubs have optioned top prospect Matt Shaw to Triple-A Iowa after a disappointing start to the rookie third baseman’s career

APRIL 15, 2025 • Associated Press

Recalled from Iowa The Cubs recalled Little from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Impact With Eli Morgan (elbow) headed to the injured list and Nate Pearson headed to the minors, Little will make the trip to the majors alongside Daniel Palencia to replenish Chicago's bullpen depth. Little owns a 2.76 ERA through 32.2 career innings in the majors, and he's off to a strong start in Triple-A, allowing two runs in 5.2 frames while striking out six and walking three. He'll likely be used in middle relief while with the Cubs.

APRIL 15, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Moves past lat issue Little (lat) struck out two and scattered three hits over 1.1 scoreless innings in his Cactus League appearance Friday versus the Padres.

Impact Little suffered a season-ending left lat strain last July and was eased along slowly in spring training, as he didn't make any appearances before the Cubs opened their campaign with a two-game set versus the Dodgers in Tokyo last week. The Cubs had already optioned Little to Triple-A Iowa on March 7, and his ability to make his spring debut Friday suggests that he'll likely avoid a stint on Iowa's injured list to begin the season. Little remains a member of the Cubs' 40-man roster and should have a good chance at surfacing in the big-league bullpen at some point in 2025.

MARCH 24, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Optioned to Triple-A The Cubs optioned Little (lat) to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Impact Little never made an appearance this spring, as the Cubs have slow-played him after he ended last season on the injured list with a left lat strain. It's not clear when he might be ready to pitch in games. The big southpaw posted a 3.46 ERA and 28:18 K:BB across 26 relief innings for Chicago in 2024.

MARCH 7, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Ramping up slowly The Cubs plan to ramp Little (lat) up slowly this spring, and the lefty appears unlikely to be ready for an Opening Day bullpen role, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Impact Little sustained a strained left lat in July, which ended his 2024 season prematurely. The Cubs are understandably being cautious with the lefty, so he likely won't be available when the team heads to Tokyo to play the Dodgers on March 18 and 19, though he could be ready for regular season action later in the month. Little flashed some promise last year, as his fastball sat a tick below 96 mph and he recorded a 9.7 K/9 and 3.46 ERA across 26 innings. When he's ready to roll in 2025, the southpaw figures to be an interesting bullpen weapon for Chicago, though he likely won't see save opportunities with Ryan Pressly and Porter Hodge around.

FEBRUARY 18, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Shifted to 60-day injured list The Cubs transferred Little (lat) to the 60-day injured list Monday, Ryan Herrera of CHGO Sports reports.

Impact The move frees up a spot for Julian Merryweather's return from the 60-day IL. Over the weekend, manager Craig Counsell said it was unlikely Little would make it back from his lat strain this season.

JULY 22, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Unlikely to return in 2024 Manager Craig Counsell said Saturday that Little (lat) is likely out for the rest of the season, Mike McGraw of the Chicago Daily Herald reports.

Impact Little landed on the injured list last Saturday due to a left shoulder strain, though the results of his MRI on Friday confirmed the strain is in his left lat. It doesn't seem that he'll require surgery, but the Cubs will still keep the southpaw shut down for now. Should he miss the rest of the season, he'll finish with a 3.46 ERA and 1.27 WHIP alongside a 28:18 K:BB across 26 innings.

JULY 20, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

Undergoing MRI on shoulder Little will undergo an MRI on his injured left shoulder Friday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Impact Little landed on the 15-day injured list just before the All-Star break and will now go through imaging to assess the severity of the issue. The left-handed reliever has put up a 3.46 ERA and 28:18 K:BB over 26 innings out of the Cubs' bullpen in 2024.

JULY 19, 2024 • ROTOWIRE

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Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd returns after being sidelined by biceps strain

Peralta earns MLB-best 15th win as Brewers blank Cubs 7-0. Game 2 of scheduled twinbill postponed

Cubs recall left-hander Jordan Wicks from Triple-A, option reliever Luke Little to the minors

Tatis and Machado each drive in 2 runs as the Padres beat the Cubs 4-2

Cubs option top prospect Matt Shaw to Triple-A after disappointing start to third baseman's career