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3 major factors in the Cubs’ decision to place Hoby Milner on waivers
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On Friday, August 28, the Chicago Cubs placed left-handed reliever Hoby Milner on waivers. The move tentatively keeps him on the 40-man roster, making it different than being designated for assignment, but it exposes him to all over 29 teams, in which anyone can claim him and his remaining approximate $800,000 salary.
In the event Milner goes unclaimed over the next 48 hours, he could remain in the Cubs organization and easily factor into their late season and post season plans. However, given his 3.53 ERA and six holds this season, it seems likely another team will take a chance on the veteran left-hander. That said, here we take a look at three factors that led to Chicago making this decision.
Three major factors in the Chicago Cubs decision to place Hoby Milner on waivers
1) Injury rehab window had maxed out
Back on July 29, the Cubs began an injury rehab assignment for Milner after he landed on the IL with appendicitis. Those assignments are limited to 30 days, meaning Milner’s window expired before rosters could expand in September. That timing may have played a significant role in Chicago’s decision to place him on waivers, making it possible that he was simply caught in an unfortunate roster crunch by a matter of days.
2) The Chicago Cubs didn’t want to option any relievers to the minor leagues
As noted by Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, just three members of the Cubs’ bullpen could have been optioned to the minors to make room for Milner without putting their roster status at risk: Ryan Zeferjahn, Daniel Palencia and Ryan Rolison. Clearly, the Cubs did not want to go that route, leaving Milner as the odd man out in an unfortunate roster crunch.
Cubs will have to make a decision on LHP Hoby Milner in next few days with 30-day window for his rehab assignment coming to an end.
Will be interesting to see what the Cubs do. They have only three optionable relievers in their bullpen right now: Zeferjahn, Palencia and Rolison.
— Meghan Montemurro (@MegMontemurro) August 26, 2026
3) Regressing metrics
Milner, a soft-tossing southpaw, has never been known for generating a high number of strikeouts, but his numbers have taken a noticeable step backward in 2026. His 12% strikeout rate is down roughly nine percentage points from his career norm. When combined with a declining ground-ball rate, which sits at just 43% this season, there are some warning signs that suggest trouble could be ahead.
The post 3 major factors in the Cubs’ decision to place Hoby Milner on waivers appeared first on ChiCitySports.
