The Cubs have claimed left-hander Doug Nikhazy off waivers from the White Sox and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa. There wasn’t any previous indication Nikhazy had been removed from the Sox roster but it appears they tried to sneak him through waivers in recent days. The Cubs designated infielder Ben Cowles for assignment to open a 40-man spot. Jordan Bastian of MLB.com was the first to report the moves.
It’s mildly surprising that the Sox put Nikhazy on the wire. He has options and has mostly been in the minors as depth since they claimed him off waivers three weeks ago. They don’t have 40-man pressure, as guys like Tanner Murray and Drew Thorpe are 60-day IL candidates. Perhaps the Sox felt now was a good time to try to pass Nikhazy through waivers since he has an 8.71 earned run average in Triple-A this year.
Instead, the Cubs have swooped in and put the kibosh on that plan. The North Siders are looking past this year’s struggles and focusing on Nikhazy’s better numbers in previous seasons. The southpaw had a strong 2024 campaign in the Guardians’ system, tossing 123 2/3 innings on the farm with a 2.98 ERA. His 10.8% walk rate was high but he struck out 25.4% of batters faced.
He hasn’t been in amazing form since then. He made a brief major league debut in 2025 but spent most of the season in the minors, where he posted a 5.02 ERA. As mentioned, this year has been even worse so far. Despite the poor results of late, he clearly still has interest around the league. The Guards put him on waivers a few weeks ago, which is when the Sox scooped him up. Now the Cubs are taking a turn.
The Cubs have had a large number of pitching injuries this year, moreso in the bullpen than in the rotation. Nikhazy gives them some extra starting depth but perhaps could be recalled if they need a spot start or another long relief option in the bullpen. His stuff isn’t overpowering, as he averages around 90 miles per hour with his fastball. Between that and his subpar control, perhaps he should be moved to the bullpen so that his stuff could play up, but he’s mostly been a starter/swingman to this point in his career.
Cowles, 26, is clearly in a fringe zone where he’s considered a borderline roster guy. The Cubs put him on their 40-man roster in November of 2024. He was designated for assignment in September of last year and claimed by the White Sox. In the offseason, he went to the Cubs, to the Blue Jays and then back to the Cubs via waiver claims. Now he’s been bumped into DFA limbo once again.
Despite all that time on various rosters, he is still looking to make his major league debut, since he hasn’t been producing much in the minors. Back in 2024, he slashed .286/.372/.457 in Double-A, which is why the Cubs gave him a roster spot in the first place. But since then, he has a .235/.305/.372 line in Triple-A.
DFA limbo can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Cubs could take five days to explore trade interest. Cowles hasn’t been hitting for the past year-plus but he does provide speed and defensive versatility. He’s generally good for about 15 to 25 steals per year. Defensively, he has spent time at the three infield spots to the left of first base as well as left field. He still has options and could be stashed in the minors for the rest of this season and one additional campaign.
Photo courtesy of Ed Szczepanski, Imagn Images
Rather Slimshady than Nikhazy
I hope Nikhazy pitches like Slim Shady raps, and not someone like Nick Cannon 😂 it would be groundhog’s day with him too so Maton the groundhog won’t be alone.
Sox developing pitchers at an alarming rate so Cubs looking to figure out how they do it with this prospect
Yeah sure okay bud
Another soft-tossing LHer… Jed sure does have a type, doesnt he?
This was Bruce Levine’s tweet about the move.
Cubs claim LHP Doug Nikhazy off of waivers from the White Sox. Inf Ben Cowles has been DFA once again by the team.
The last sentence is funny 😂 “DFA’d once again the team”
Ha, didn’t see his tweet but it’s become quite obvious at this point. I think Jed believes soft-tossers don’t get hurt. And maybe they are less injury prone, but I dont see LA, SD, NY, or Atl taking this approach. Stack up some depth of power arms. 2-3 oft injured starters who throw hard will never get you through a ML season these days…
Dumpster diving is one thing, but this is crawling under the dumpster and scraping off the sludge.
Any truth to this –
Justin Steele has had a set back in his recovery and is being shut down until further testing?
Per Rick Sutcliff
Yep. It is real.
Can only take cover for an explanation of Boyd’s velocity drop last night. My guess is that is next…..