The Chicago Cubs have brought back right-hander Ryan Jensen on a minor league deal, per the MLB.com transactions log. Jensen was most recently in the Minnesota Twins organization but was released just over a week ago. In a corresponding move, the Cubs also released right-hander Phil Bickford.
Jensen, 27, was originally selected by the Cubs in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft. Although he showed promise early with a solid strikeout rate (26.3%) and strong ground ball numbers over 151 2/3 innings from 2019 to 2022, control issues were a persistent problem—he walked batters at a high 13.1% clip.
Despite those concerns, the Cubs added him to their 40-man roster in November 2022 to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. Less than a year later, he was placed on waivers and bounced around, getting claimed by the Mariners, Marlins, and Twins. Minnesota eventually passed him through waivers last February.
Unfortunately, his control struggles have continued. Since the beginning of 2023, Jensen has posted a 5.35 ERA over 149 2/3 minor league innings with a 27.8% strikeout rate and an even higher 18.3% walk rate. While the Twins ultimately moved on, the Cubs appear willing to take another chance on their former prospect.

Meanwhile, Phil Bickford, 29, had signed a minor league deal with the Cubs during the offseason. He may have exercised an opt-out clause, as he was performing well in Triple-A Iowa: a 2.60 ERA over 27 2/3 innings with a 34% strikeout rate and just a 5.7% walk rate.
Bickford has a solid MLB resume from 2021–2022, logging 112 1/3 innings with a 3.85 ERA, 27.8% strikeout rate, and 7.3% walk rate. However, his command issues flared up in 2023, pushing his walk rate to 12.8%. He had a short and rough stint with the Yankees last season, allowing an 8.64 ERA over just 8 1/3 innings.