The Nationals claimed Rucker off waivers Friday and optioned him to Triple-A Rochester.
The right-hander was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Wednesday, and he'll stick in the NL East after being claimed off waivers. Rucker hasn't pitched in the majors this season and has struggled at the Triple-A level with a 7.36 ERA across 22 innings, though he was a solid bullpen piece for the Cubs in 2022 with a 3.95 ERA in 41 appearances.
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Phillies' Michael Rucker: Removed from 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Phillies designated Rucker for assignment Wednesday, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Rucker has missed much of 2024 due to injury, posting a 6.58 ERA but also a 36:11 K:BB over 26 innings in the minors. The 30-year-old will cede his 40-man roster spot to Nick Nelson, who was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.
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Phillies' Michael Rucker: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Phillies optioned Rucker to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday.
He'll give up his spot on the 26-man active roster and in the Philadelphia bullpen to right-hander Carlos Estevez, whom the Phillies acquired from the Angels over the weekend. Rucker has spent most of the season recovering from a right hand arterial vasospasm, but the Phillies brought him back from the 60-day injured list Friday. The righty didn't end up making any appearances out of the bullpen over the weekend in the Phillies' series with the Guardians, however.
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Phillies' Michael Rucker: Returns from injured list
Rotowire
The Phillies reinstated Rucker (hand) from the 60-day injured list Friday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic report.
Philadelphia acquired Austin Hays in exchange for Seranthony Dominguez and Cristian Pache earlier Friday, and Rucker will fill the open roster spot. The right-hander was acquired from the Cubs in February but has been sidelined by an arterial vasospasm in his right hand. Rucker posted a 4.91 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 40:19 K:BB over 40.1 innings for Chicago last season and is now on the cusp of his debut with Philadelphia.
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Phillies' Michael Rucker: Restarts rehab assignment
Rotowire
Rucker (hand) resumed his rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday, working one inning while striking out a batter and giving up one run on three hits and one walk.
Rucker had been pulled off his rehab assignment last Sunday due to turf toe in his right big toe, but he evidently made a swift recovery from that injury. The 30-year-old is still in the process of building back up while he's been on the injured list all season due to a right hand arterial vasospasm. He'll likely work in middle relief for the Phillies once he's activated from the 60-day IL.
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Phillies' Michael Rucker: Continuing rehab at Double-A
Rotowire
Rucker's rehab assignment as he comes back from a right hand injury was transferred from Single-A Clearwater to Double-A Reading on Tuesday.
Rucker made his first rehab appearance Friday with Clearwater, tossing a scoreless inning. The outing was Rucker's first in-game action since March 1, and he'll continue his recovery at Double-A Reading. Rucker will likely require a handful of rehab outings before being reinstated.
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Phillies' Michael Rucker: Moved to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Phillies transferred Rucker (hand) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Monday, Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
Rucker has already missed more than 60 days with right hand arterial vasospasm, so the move is merely to free up a spot on the 40-man roster. The reliever is without a clear timeline to begin a minor-league rehab assignment or return from the IL.
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Phillies' Michael Rucker: Shelved with hand injury
Rotowire
The Phillies placed Rucker on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a right hand arterial vasospasm.
More specifically, Rucker's right middle finger had been bothering him in spring training, as he didn't make any Grapefruit League appearances after March 1. Per MLB.com, Rucker isn't dealing with any sort of nerve issue or thoracic outlet syndrome even though he experienced numbness in the finger, but it's unclear when he might be ready to make his season debut.
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Phillies' Michael Rucker: Sidelined by finger injury
Rotowire
Rucker hasn't made a Grapefruit League appearance since March 1 due to numbness in his right middle finger, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
The reliever has traveled back to Philadelphia in order to have his finger examined. A stint on the injured list to begin the season would certainly appear to be possible, but more will be known after he's evaluated further.
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Phillies' Michael Rucker: Shipped to Philadelphia
Rotowire
The Phillies acquired Rucker from the Cubs on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations.
Rucker had been designated for assignment and has now landed in a new organization. The 29-year-old reliever has collected a 4.96 ERA and 120:50 K:BB over 123.1 innings out of the Cubs' bullpen covering the last three seasons. He'll compete for a middle-relief gig.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Exits 40-man roster
Rotowire
Rucker was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Thursday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
The 29-year-old reliever loses his spot on the 40-man roster in favor Hector Neris, whose signing became official. Rucker has put up a 4.96 ERA and 120:50 K:BB covering 123.1 innings out of the Cubs' bullpen over the last three seasons.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Optioned to Iowa
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Rucker to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Keegan Thompson is up to replace him in Chicago's bullpen ahead of Thursday's series opener versus the Pirates. Rucker, 29, has registered a 4.91 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 40:19 K:BB over 40.1 innings of relief this year in the majors.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Recalled from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs recalled Rucker from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Rucker will return to the Cubs' bullpen mix ahead of Tuesday night's game against the White Sox. The 29-year-old right-hander has posted a 5.03 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 39:17 K:BB across 39.1 major-league innings this season.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Optioned to Iowa
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Rucker to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Rucker has taken a notable step back from his 2022 campaign, accumulating a 5.17 ERA and 1.46 WHIP through 38.1 innings out of the bullpen. He could return to Chicago if he shows signs of improvement in the minors, but for now Hayden Wesneski will come up from Triple-A to take his spot on the staff.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Snags win in relief Wednesday
Rotowire
Rucker (2-1) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Wednesday against the Brewers. He didn't allow a hit and walked three.
Rucker wasn't his sharpest, as he needed 35 pitches to cover two frames and issued the three free passes, though he still managed his first win since April 11 when the Cubs scored three times in the top of the ninth to earn a 4-3 victory. The righty was sent to Triple-A Iowa at the end of May due to some struggles, but he's been good since returning in early June, allowing just one run across 11.1 innings.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Recalled from Iowa
Rotowire
The Cubs recalled Rucker from Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Rucker will rejoin the Cubs' bullpen following the placement of Edwin Rios (undisclosed) on the 10-day injured list. Rucker was enjoying a strong start to the season with Chicago but gave up 10 earned runs in 8.1 innings over his last four appearances, leading to his demotion May 28. Now that he's back, Rucker will likely return to a multi-inning relief role.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Optioned to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs optioned Rucker to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Rucker has yielded 10 earned runs over 8.1 innings across his last four appearances, causing his ERA to balloon from 2.45 to 5.48. He will head to Iowa in order to right the ship, and Hayden Wesneski was recalled to take Rucker's roster spot.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Struggles with command in loss
Rotowire
Rucker (1-1) allowed a run on two hits without retiring a batter to take the loss Friday against the Marlins. He also hit two batters.
Rucker got the bottom of the ninth inning in a 2-2 game and struggled mightily. He allowed a leadoff single to Jorge Soler, then plunked both Luis Arraez and Avisail Garcia with pitches. That loaded the bases for Jean Segura, who plated the winning run on a single. Rucker had come into the contest with six straight scoreless outings and still carries a solid 3.38 ERA overall, so he should be able to rebound from the tough performance.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Could start year in minors
Rotowire
Rucker could be squeezed out of the MLB bullpen to begin the regular season, Patrick Mooney and Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic report.
With veteran relievers Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer signed by the Cubs in the offseason, as well as Tyler Duffey on a minor-league deal, Rucker could get squeezed from the Opening Day bullpen and start the year with Triple-A Iowa. Rucker did pitch reasonably well in 2022 with a 3.95 ERA and 1.28 WHIP across 54.2 innings for Chicago, so he could certainly get extended run in the majors at some point in 2023.
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Cubs' Michael Rucker: Earns another win in relief
Rotowire
Rucker (3-1) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Cardinals. He didn't allow a hit or a walk, and struck out one.
Rucker now has three victories in his past seven appearances after having no wins across his first 39 games at the MLB level dating back to last season. That shows the volatility of relief pitching, though Rucker has also taken on a more prominent bullpen role for the Cubs with Scott Effross, Mychal Givens and David Robertson all getting traded before the deadline. Rucker should continue to appear in high-leverage spots, though his value will be capped unless he challenges Rowan Wick and Brandon Hughes for save opportunities.
