Yacksel

Rios

Ríos will presumably stick around as emergency organizational relief depth for the Cubs after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 32-year-old righty tossed 1 2/3 innings in his lone appearance for Chicago prior to being designated for assignment last weekend.

The Cubs needed to clear a spot in their bullpen for the return of Daniel Palencia on Sunday and it looks like Rios pulled the short straw this time. The 32-year-old hurler appeared in just one game during his time with the club, striking out two batters over 1 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball. It’s possible he could pique another team’s interest on waivers.

Rios, 32, has made just three appearances in the big leagues since the 2021 season, with all of them coming with the Athletics in 2023. He has struggled in seven appearances at Triple-A Iowa, producing a 5.06 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and an 8/6 K/BB ratio over 10 2/3 innings. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him designated for assignment on Monday when Phil Maton (knee) returns.

Ríos fortifies Chicago’s bullpen depth entering spring training after making just a handful of appearances in the Mets’ system last year. The well-traveled 32-year-old veteran last appeared in the majors back in 2023 but he’s made 92 career appearances at the highest level dating back to 2017. He’s merely an emergency depth addition at this stage of his journeyman odyssey.

Hagenman, 28, was signed to a one-year, $850,000 split contract over the winter with the expectation that he’d compete for a spot in the team’s Opening Day bullpen. He did his part in Grapefruit League action, posting a 1.25 WHIP with three strikeouts over four scoreless innings, there just simply wasn’t a spot for him in a very crowded bullpen mix. He’ll start the season off as extra depth at Triple-A Syracuse.

Thompson came into camp as a non-roster invite and after he slashed .250/.308/.583 with two home runs and six RBI, he’ll stay in the Mets’ farm system as a depth option for the outfield.

Ríos augments New York’s organizational relief depth heading into spring training after making three appearances this past season for the Athletics. The 30-year-old righty, who holds a bloated 6.32 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 93/56 K/BB ratio across 98 1/3 innings (92 appearances) in the majors since 2017, missed the entire second half of last year following shoulder surgery to correct an issue leading to numbness in his fingers.

Rîos will look for a new team after being removed from the Athletics’ 40-man roster at the end of the season. The 30-year-old right-hander allowed seven earned runs across three appearances before undergoing a shoulder procedure in July.

Ríos finds himself off Oakland’s 40-man roster after wrapping up the regular season on the 60-day injured list following season-ending shoulder surgery back in mid-July. The 30-year-old right-hander will most likely wind up electing free agency in the coming days.

Ríos underwent a procedure on his shoulder to address a nerve issue leading to Raynaud’s syndrome, which was causing numbness in his fingers. He’s expected to be ready for the start of spring training.