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Hultzen announced his retirement Thursday, Barry Svrluga of The Washington Post reports. Hultzen was part of the Cubs' 60-man player pool in 2020 but never reached the majors during the season. The southpaw was the second overall pick in the 2011 first-year player draft, but several shoulder injuries derailed his career. He made just six relief appearances in the majors during the 2019 season, tossing 3.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts.
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Hultzen will be a part of the Cubs' 60-man player pool this season. The lefty is not on the team's 40-man roster but will still get the chance to train at Wrigley Field along with 21 other pitchers. Hultzen is unlikely to make a big impact in 2020, though he does give the Cubs some veteran depth and may have some value against left-handed batters.
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The Cubs reassigned Hultzen to their minor-league camp Thursday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2011 first-year player draft overcame a slew of serious injuries to finally make his MLB debut at 29 years old in 2019. Though he turned in 3.1 scoreless innings across his six relief outings with the Cubs, Hultzen's status as a lefty specialist probably hurt his case for a roster spot with the three-batter minimum in place for the 2020 season. Hultzen will presumably open the campaign at Triple-A Iowa.
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Hultzen agreed to a minor-league contract with the Cubs earlier this month, Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America reports. After several injury plagued years to begin his career, Hultzen, the second overall pick in the 2011 first-year player draft, finally reached the majors for the first time last season. Over six late-season relief appearances with the Cubs, Hultzen struck out five over 3.1 shutout innings. He'll likely get a crack at competing for a bullpen job in spring training, but his lack of a 40-man roster spot will likely hinder his chances of making the Cubs' Opening Day roster.
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Hultzen was non-tendered by the Cubs on Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. Hultzen appeared in six games for the Cubs last season, all in September. He didn't allow a run over 3.1 innings of work, fanning five and walking two over that stretch. Given his limited big-league experience and past shoulder injuries, he may need to accept a minor-league deal to pitch in 2020.
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