Brault appeared in 116 games at the major-league level between 2016-22, slashing .258/.275/.337 with four RBI across 101 plate appearances. He spent 2023 in the independent Atlantic League of Professional Baseball but failed to attract interest from any MLB clubs.
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Steven Brault: Signs with independent team
Rotowire
Brault has signed with the yet-to-be-named Atlantic League based in Frederick, Maryland.
Brault, 30, was limited to just nine innings with the Cubs last season because of shoulder issues. He'll try to prove his health with Frederick as he looks to garner interest from big-league clubs.
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Steven Brault: Enters open market
Rotowire
Brault (lat) became a minor-league free agent Friday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Brault was removed from the Cubs' 40-man roster Thursday, and he's eligible for minor-league free agency due to his service time. He was limited to 17 games between the majors and minors in 2022 and missed the last six weeks of the season with a lat strain.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Loses spot on 40-man roster
Rotowire
Brault (lat) cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Brault was sidelined the final six weeks of the season due to a lat strain, which he aggravated in late September while doing his rehab work. He also battled a triceps injury during the first half of the campaign and appeared in only 17 games across all levels.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Aggravates lat strain
Rotowire
Brault recently aggravated his left lat strain and has returned to Arizona to start a rehab process, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Brault has been dealing with a shoulder strain since late August, but he began a rehab assignment last week and allowed eight runs while failing to record an out over two appearances. It wouldn't be surprising to see him remain out for the remainder of the year, and it's not yet clear how his setback will impact his offseason program.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Rehab assignment on tap
Rotowire
Brault (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Brault has been on the injured list since late August due to a shoulder strain but has been throwing off a mound recently. It's possible that he'll be able to rejoin the Cubs' bullpen following a relatively brief rehab assignment.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Tossing bullpen session Tuesday
Rotowire
Brault (shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Tuesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Brault has been out of action since landing on the injured list in late August with a shoulder strain, but he is ready to resume working from a mound. He will have a chance to rejoin the Cubs before the season ends.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Out with shoulder strain
Rotowire
Brault was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a left shoulder strain, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Brault surrendered three runs without recording an out during Game 2 of Tuesday's doubleheader and will now be unavailable for at least the next couple weeks. Kervin Castro was recalled from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Activated Wednesday
Rotowire
Brault (illness) was reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list Wednesday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Brault spent just over two weeks on the COVID-19 IL and struck out two in 2.1 innings over two recent rehab appearances at Triple-A Iowa. He should serve as a middle reliever now that he's back in action.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Begins rehab assignment
Rotowire
Brault (illness) began a rehab assignment Friday at Triple-A Iowa and struck out two over 2.1 no-hit scoreless innings between his first two appearances for the affiliate.
The lone baserunner Brault allowed during the two appearances came Friday, when he hit a batter with a pitch. Per MLB.com, Cubs manager David Ross said Monday that Brault should be ready to come off the COVID-19-related injured list within the next few days.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Hits COVID-19 injured list
Rotowire
Brault was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday.
It's unclear if Brault tested positive for the virus himself or if he's merely been exposed to someone who did, so it's unclear exactly when he's expected back. He's thrown 5.2 scoreless innings of relief for the Cubs this season.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Contract selected
Rotowire
Brault's contract was selected from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago reports.
Brault returned to the mound in Iowa on July 6 after missing over three months due to a left triceps strain. He's tossed 3.2 scoreless innings over three relief appearances with the Triple-A club and should serve as a middle reliever for the Cubs ahead of the All-Star break.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Back in action at Triple-A
Rotowire
Brault (triceps) has made two appearances for Triple-A Iowa since being activated from the 7-day injured list July 4, striking out three while allowing three hits and no walks over two scoreless frames.
After signing a minor-league deal with Chicago in March, Brault was expected to compete for a rotation spot with the big club in spring training, but a left triceps strain prevented him from seriously contending for an Opening Day role. After going on Iowa's 7-day IL, Brault was sidelined for nearly three months before debuting for the affiliate. As a result of the missed time, Brault hasn't been built up for starting duty, so he looks as though he'll stick in Iowa's bullpen for the time being.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Heading to Triple-A
Rotowire
Brault (triceps) was assigned to Triple-A Iowa on Monday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Brault signed what was supposed to be a major-league deal with the Cubs in mid-March, but it was converted to a minor-league contract after a physical revealed a triceps injury. He hasn't pitched in a game this spring, so he'll have to build up to game shape before he gets the chance to push for a roster spot.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Dealing with triceps issue
Rotowire
Brault is dealing with a triceps injury, which explains why his contract with the Cubs was converted to a minor-league deal Monday, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports.
Brault missed the end of last season with a lat strain, but the physical he took while signing a deal with the Cubs revealed a separate issue. He won't be able to throw for at least two weeks, which takes him out of the running for the Opening Day roster.
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Cubs' Steven Brault: Contract converted to MiLB deal
Rotowire
Brault (lat) had his contract with the Cubs converted to a minor-league deal with an invite to major-league spring training Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Brault was initially slated to join the Cubs on a one-year, major-league contract, but his deal will be revised since he's dealing with an injury setback. It's not yet clear when the left-hander will be fully healthy. However, he'll compete for a spot on the major-league roster on a contract that includes an opt-out clause in July.
Brault (lat) agreed Wednesday with the Cubs on a contract, Robert Murray of FanSided.com reports. According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Brault will receive a one-year, major-league deal.
Chicago's decision to bring Brault aboard is likely a reaction to the news earlier this week that Adbert Alzolay will miss at least two months after he was diagnosed with a lat strain. With Alzolay presumably headed for the 60-day injured list, the Cubs have youngsters Justin Steele and Keegan Thompson on hand to battle for the final spot in the five-man rotation, and Brault should get a chance to compete for the job as well. A veteran of 52 career MLB starts, Brault's experience may give him the upper hand over Steele and Thompson, though he'll first have to prove that he's healthy again after he finished last season on Pittsburgh's IL with a lat strain of his own.
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Pirates' Steven Brault: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
Brault (lat) was designated for assignment by the Padres on Monday.
Brault's 4.77 career ERA certainly isn't anything special, but it's better than the types of career marks you usually see among pitchers available on the waiver wire. He struggled to a 5.86 ERA in seven starts in 2021 while battling lat issues for much of the year, however, and the Pirates are evidently content to move on. The roster move clears space for the team to add new signing Jose Quintana to the 40-man roster.
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Pirates' Steven Brault: Won't return in 2021
Rotowire
Brault (lat) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Monday.
Brault was placed on the injured list with a recurrent left lat strain Saturday, and he'll be sidelined for the remainder of the season following his move to the 60-day IL. The southpaw made seven starts in 2021 and recorded a 5.86 ERA and 1.63 WHIP in 27.2 innings. He'll now work toward returning to full health in time for spring training in 2022.
