Forgotten member of 2026 Cubs bullpen gets DFAd by Rays after just one appearance

Thirty-nine different pitchers have appeared in games for the Chicago Cubs this season, tied with the New York Mets for second-most in the National League and trailing only the Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays in all of baseball.

Pitching injuries could have derailed the 2026 Cubs' season at multiple points, but Craig Counsell's club has prevailed, punching their playoff ticket this week for the second straight season. Among the pitchers who called the North Side home this year was right-hander Jake Woodford, who made one big-league appearance in July and one in August before the team dumped him.

He quickly latched on with the Tampa Bay Rays and reported to Triple-A, but finally got into his first action with the big club Thursday. The Rays, who head into October as the #1 seed in the AL, are sparing critical arms in what essentially amounts to meaningless games to close out the regular season, and gave him a look.

It didn't go as planned.

Woodford allowed three earned in just 1 1/3 innings, facing eight batters and only retiring four. After the game, the Rays DFAd Woodford, who will be placed on waivers. Maybe he sticks around in hopes he gets another look in the postseason, but it's been years since the veteran has been even remotely close to serviceable on the bump.

Cubs' desperate search for arms led them to Jake Woodford this summer

He had a breakout 2022 season with St. Louis at age 26, working to a 2.23 ERA in 48 1/3 innings of work, but since then, it's been a rough go of things. The Rays marked the seventh team he's pitched for since '23 and his numbers tell you all you need to know: a 7.00 ERA, 5.23 FIP and 1.698 WHIP in 146 2/3 frames.

In his two appearances with Chicago, he totaled three innings, allowing three earned on six hits. He was better with Triple-A Iowa, but was still far from dominant. It's nice he got his homecoming with the Rays (he's a Tampa native), and I'm sure he'll latch on somewhere as a depth piece heading into 2027, but despite the fact he's just 29 years old, it's worth wondering how much he has left in the tank.

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