All it took was three outs for the Chicago Cubs to pull Jameson Taillon from the game on Sunday night.

To be sure, while Taillon’s struggles this season have been well-documented, it was injury trouble that forced Craig Counsell to pull the plug. The manager shared after the game that the plan will be for the starting pitcher to hit the IL with a hamstring strain, making him just the latest Cubs arm to get bitten by the injury bug.

Indeed, all the injury trouble has been hard to keep track of. The Cubs lost Cade Horton early in the year and have yet to welcome back Justin Steele. Matthew Boyd and Edward Cabrera have both had their own stints on the IL this year. Meanwhile, the Cubs have seen numerous relief pitchers face injuries, with a handful still stuck on the IL.

These countless injuries have led the Cubs to scour the league for possible solutions. Every week, it feels like this front office is adding one or two veteran pieces to their minor league system in hopes of building up their depth. Tyler Ferguson was a recent example, as the Cubs acquired him from the A’s for cash and allowed him to see another taste of big league action last week.

In other words, it should come as little surprise that the Cubs have added three more pitchers to the mix over the last couple of days. They first acquired Antoine Kelly from the Dodgers in another trade for cash. Then, the team announced both the additions of Andrew Wantz and Eduarniel Núñez.

Cubs’ Search for Pitching Help Continues

Andrew Wantz was signed outright to a minor league contract following the righty electing free agency after he was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays. The 30-year-old has 92 games of MLB experience under his belt, with the majority of his time coming as a middle reliever with the Los Angeles Angels.

Wantz’ time with the Angels ultimately came to an end after he experienced significant injury trouble in 2024. He would go on to sign a minor league deal with the Rays in 2025, but never made his way back to the majors. This season, however, the Rays did give Wantz a chance on their surging squad, only for Wantz to give up five earned runs and hit two batters.

The Cubs are now hoping they can tap back into what made Wantz a steady bullpen option in Los Angeles. He has a 4.20 career ERA and has found strikeout success with his mid-90s fastball in the past. The main problem has always been his control, as he’s consistently posted a walk rate that creeps toward 10.0 percent.

Speaking of fastballs, many Cubs fans may be familiar with Eduarniel Núñez. The 27-year-old has spent the majority of his career inside the organization. He first signed with the team on an international deal in 2017, quickly emerging as one of the team’s more intriguing prospects.

Núñez was on fire in 2024 with the Tennessee Smokies, posting a .98 ERA in 27 games with 42 strikeouts. This finally led the Cubs to promote the righty to Triple-A Iowa, where he struggled to replicate the results. Núñez recorded only a 6.85 ERA in his 19 appearances and really struggled to have the same high strikeout rate.

Núñez would go on to sign a contract with the Padres in 2024. After some excellent work in the minors, he finally made his MLB debut and appeared in four total games. Then, Núñez was sent to the Padres as part of a larger trade, where he pitched six games with a 9.00 ERA in 2025. The Orioles eventually traded for him earlier this season but decided to open up room on their 40-man roster and DFA Núñez.

Considering that Núñez’s first taste of the majors has been a mixed bag, it’s hard to know exactly what the plan is for him moving forward. At the same time, it’s clear that this Cubs’ front office has long valued what he brings to the table with a fastball that can touch 100 mph.

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The plan now is for Núñez to head to the Arizona Complex League and immediately land on the 40-man roster (which is currently sitting at 39). The Cubs will probably try to move him to Iowa in the near future to get a closer look.

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