The Chicago Cubs today recalled right-handed pitcher Jeff Stevens from Triple-A Iowa.
Stevens, who will wear uniform number 52, is available for this afternoon’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Stevens joins the first major league roster of his professional career.
The 25-year-old Stevens is 0-3 with two saves and a 2.18 ERA (10 ER/41.1 IP) in 30 relief appearances for Iowa this season. He has limited opponents to a .171 batting average, including a .157 mark by right-handed hitters and a .205 mark by left-handed hitters. Stevens has struck out 43 batters in 41.1 innings, an average of 9.4 strikeouts per nine innings. He has allowed only one home run in 41.1 innings.
Acquired from Cleveland with two additional pitching prospects for Mark DeRosa last December 31, Stevens is 24-21 with 11 saves and a 3.36 ERA (132 ER/353.1 IP) in 158 minor league appearances (29 starts). Since pitching exclusively in relief starting in 2007, Stevens has posted a 2.80 ERA (57 ER/183.0 IP) in 115 appearances. He has struck out 226 batters in 183.0 innings, an average of 11.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
Stevens combined to go 5-4 with a 3.24 ERA (21 ER/58.1 IP), six saves and a .184 batting average against in 36 relief appearances between Cleveland’s Double-A Akron and Triple-A Buffalo affiliates in 2008. He also pitched for the United States Olympic Baseball team that won the bronze medal in Beijing last summer.
A native of Berkeley, CA, the six-foot-two, 205-pound Stevens attended Loyola Marymount University and was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the sixth round of the 2005 Draft. He was traded by the Reds to the Indians for infielder Brandon Phillips in 2006.
