Luke

Little

Little hasn’t been officially ruled out for the rest of the season, but it’s viewed as a long shot that he’ll make it back from his lat strain in time. The move to the 60-day IL does officially put him out of action until Sept. 9.

Little is going to wind up missing at least a couple weeks after suffering a shoulder injury on Friday during a relief outing against the Cardinals. The 23-year-old lefty has been solid in middle relief this season for Chicago with a serviceable 3.46 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 28/18 K/BB ratio across 26 innings (30 appearances, one start).

The 23-year-old southpaw came on for Kyle Hendricks to start the eighth inning and threw just four pitches before the trainer was called out and Little was ultimately lifted from the game. He’ll head for further evaluation. Don’t be surprised if he winds up on the injured list and the Cubs add another reliever to their roster prior to Saturday’s game.

The 23-year-old hurler took the place of the injured Mark Leiter Jr. (forearm) in the Cubs’ bullpen. Little had just been optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, but he’s able to return a day later with Leiter hitting the injured list. Little has done a solid job in his time with the Cubs this season, registering a 4.35 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and a 20/17 K/BB ratio over 20 2/3 innings in 23 appearances.

Little heads back to the minors with Keegan Thompson back from paternity leave prior to Saturday’s showdown against the Mets. The 23-year-old has compiled a respectable 4.35 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 20/17 K/BB ratio across 20 2/3 innings (23 appearances, one start) this season in the majors.

With Keegan Thompson (illness) landing on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday, Little will get another opportunity to pitch out of the Cubs’ bullpen. The 23-year-old hurler holds a 7.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and an 8/7 K/BB ratio across nine innings at the big league level to begin the season.

The 23-year-old left-hander has struggled in 10 appearances out of the Cubs’ bullpen this season, posting a 7.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and an 8/7 K/BB ratio across nine innings. He’ll continue to hone his craft at the Triple-A level until he’s called upon once more. Richard Lovelady had his contract selected from Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Little has held his own this season in with a 2.35 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 6/6 K/BB ratio across 7 2/3 innings (eight appearances) this season in the big leagues. He provides the Cubs with some extra relief depth moving forward.

Little pitched well in seven appearances (one start) earlier this season for the Cubs and will provide them with some extra bullpen depth during Saturday’s twin bill at Wrigley Field. He’ll head back to Triple-A Iowa at the conclusion of the doubleheader.

Little will head down to the minors, but did a nice job for Chicago’s bullpen in the early parts of this season with a 2.70 ERA. The 23-year-old southpaw struggled to get batters to strike out but showed he can be a quality reliever if given the opportunity. He’ll likely have that opportunity later down the line this season.