Cubs reliever has cleared waivers and been removed from the 40-man roster, according to MLB.com’s transaction log. Since he has been outrighted multiple times in his career, the left-hander has the right to elect free agency.
Chicago designated him for assignment after acquiring Ryan Brasier last week. The Cubs had originally claimed him off waivers from the Brewers earlier in the offseason, bringing him back to the organization that drafted him in the second round in 2013. Rob Zastryzny was part of the Cubs’ 2016 World Series team, pitching 16 innings as a rookie, and remained with the club until being outrighted in 2018.
After bouncing around several organizations and spending time in independent ball, he returned to the majors with the Mets in 2022. Later that year, he joined the Angels before throwing a career-high 20 2/3 innings with the Pirates in 2023. Last season, he pitched 7 2/3 innings across nine appearances for the Brewers.
Over parts of five MLB seasons with five different teams, Zastryzny has logged 67 innings with a 4.30 ERA. He had a strong 2023 campaign with Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate in Nashville, posting a 3.03 ERA and an impressive 32.5% strikeout rate over 29 2/3 innings. That performance led the Cubs to claim him off waivers, but he faced an uphill battle to remain on the roster.
A key factor in the decision was that Zastryzny is out of minor league options, meaning the Cubs couldn’t send him to Triple-A without exposing him to waivers. With limited flexibility in their bullpen, Chicago opted to remove him from the roster. If he chooses free agency, he will likely have to settle for minor league offers from other teams.