CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs today placed left-handed pitcher Drew Smyly on the bereavement list and selected right-handed pitcher Robert Gsellman from Triple-A Iowa. To make room on the 40-man roster for Gsellman, left-handed pitcher Locke St. John has been designated for assignment.
Gsellman (pronounced guh-SEHL-min), 28, will wear number 43 and is available for tonight’s 6:10 p.m. CT game against the Chicago White Sox at Wrigley Field. He signed a minor league deal with Chicago this past March and is 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA (2 ER/15.1 IP) in five games (four starts) for Iowa. He has walked four, struck out 12 and recorded a 0.78 WHIP while holding opponents to a .157 average (8-for-51) and a .389 OPS.
The six-foot four-inch Gsellman is 20-16 with one complete game, 26 holds, 14 saves and a 4.59 ERA (179 ER/350.2 IP) in all or part of six seasons with the New York Mets from 2016-21. He pitched in a career-high 68 games with 16 holds and 13 saves in 2018, going 6-3 with a 4.28 ERA (38 ER/80.0 IP) and 28 walks compared to 70 strikeouts.
Gsellman in 2021 was limited to 17 games (one start) for New York before a right lat strain ended his season on June 21. He posted a 3.77 ERA (12 ER/28.2 IP) with a 1.19 WHIP, seven walks and 17 strikeouts prior to the injury.
Selected by the Mets in the 13th round of the 2011 Draft out of Westchester High School in Los Angeles, Gsellman is 37-32 with four complete games, one shutout, one save and a 3.17 ERA (204 ER/579.1 IP) in 117 minor league games, including 100 starts.
Smyly, 32, is 1-2 with a 2.79 ERA (6 ER/19.1 IP) in four starts for Chicago this season. He has walked three, struck out 13 and produced a 1.09 WHIP.
St. John, 29, was selected by Chicago on Saturday and pitched 2.0 relief innings (3 ER) that evening in Milwaukee before he was optioned to Iowa following Sunday’s game.
