Kevin Gausman expected to make Cubs debut Friday night at Kansas City
Gausman Poised for Cubs Debut Against Royals
Bharatmorningnews.com – Kevin Gausman is anticipated to take the mound for Chicago on Friday evening when the team faces Kansas City. The right-hander joins a reshuffled pitching staff that also features Clay Holmes, following several roster moves before Monday’s trade deadline. Alongside Gausman, the Cubs acquired reliever Ryan Zeferjahn and left-hander Braxton Garrett in separate transactions.
A Long-Standing Connection
According to Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer, the organization has inquired about Gausman’s availability for many years. The trade with Toronto on Sunday came as little shock to those following the player’s career trajectory.
When I told my wife it was the Cubs, she was like, ‘It’s about time,’ Gausman said. Because just in Baltimore for years, it seemed like it was kind of always a link to here. … Happy that I’m here finally.
Gausman was officially placed on Chicago’s active roster prior to Wednesday’s final game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. In a corresponding move, left-hander Antoine Kelly was sent down to Triple-A Iowa.
Season Performance and History
The 35-year-old pitcher currently holds a 5-10 record with a 4.38 earned run average across 23 starts this season. His previous outing against Chicago on June 19 saw him surrender seven runs and seven hits over two innings in a 16-2 defeat.
Despite this season’s numbers, Gausman brings considerable durability to the roster. He has recorded at least 174 2/3 innings and made 31 or more starts in each of the past five campaigns. Most recently, he delivered five and two-thirds innings of one-run pitching in Toronto’s 5-1 victory over St. Louis on Saturday.
Gausman also contributed to Toronto’s 2025 World Series run, posting a 2-3 record with a 2.93 ERA in six postseason appearances. The Blue Jays ultimately fell to the Dodgers in the Fall Classic, who could emerge as playoff rivals for Chicago this year.
Once you’re there, all you want to do is get back, Gausman said of the World Series. So I’m really excited to hopefully get back there with this team.
Managerial Decisions Ahead
Cubs manager Craig Counsell faces several pitching choices with the new additions. Right-hander Edward Cabrera and relievers Daniel Palencia and Hoby Milner are currently on rehab assignments with Triple-A Iowa. Colin Rea has returned to the bullpen after Chicago opted to skip his upcoming rotation start, though further adjustments are expected.
I think we’re going to have guys pitch at doing things they maybe haven’t done in the past as much, and that may be a little, you know, different for them, Counsell said, and we may have to kind of be careful with how we manage them in those roles, but these things will figure themselves out. I also think that we have some competition kind of in the starting rotation right now, too.
Being a part of a team when they can bring guys in and you know that they’re going for it, it’s almost like a shot of adrenaline and can kind of breathe some life into the team, Gausman said. It doesn’t seem like this team needs it, to be honest, but still excited to be here.
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