Cubs Select Infielder BJ Murray Jr, Recall RHP Tyler Ferguson
It’s September 1, which means teams get two additional roster spots. We already covered the promotion of BJ Murray Jr., and Tyler Ferguson has already been with the big club, so let’s just hand it off to the media release. Before that, a quick note that Javier Assad can’t come back until Saturday unless it’s as an injury replacement. A pitcher who has been optioned must remain down for at least 15 days, plus Assad will be unavailable until Friday after starting and throwing 5.1 innings on Sunday.
The Chicago Cubs today recalled right-handed pitcher Tyler Ferguson and selected the contract of infielder BJ Murray Jr. Murray Jr. will wear #83. The Cubs 40-man roster now stands at 40 players.
Ferguson, 32, is 0-1 with a 3.45 ERA (6 ER/15.2 IP), 19 strikeouts, two walks and a 0.77 WHIP in 16 games with the Cubs this season. He was acquired from the Athletics on May 7 for cash considerations. All told in 2026, the righty is 0-1 with a 5.29 ERA (10 ER/17.0 IP) with 20 strikeouts, two walks and a .215 opponent batting average in 17 major league games between the two clubs. Ferguson has posted a 0-1 record with a 3.79 ERA (8 ER/19.0 IP) across 17 games with the I-Cubs since joining the organization.
Murray Jr., 26, is set to make his major league debut tonight after parts of six seasons with the Cubs organization. The switch-hitting infielder is batting .294 (128-for-436) with 24 doubles, nine triples, 16 home runs, 68 RBI, nine stolen bases and a .895 OPS in 118 games with the Iowa Cubs this season, his first full season at the Triple-A level. At the time of his promotion, he led the I-Cubs in on-base percentage (.395), hits, walks (69), RBI, and extra-base hits (49), and was second in slugging percentage (.500), OPS and home runs. In 581 career minor league games, all in the Chicago farm system, he hit .257 (530-for-2,059) with 109 doubles, 15 triples, 73 homers, 335 RBI and a .803 OPS.
The Nassau, Bahamas, native will become the ninth Bahamas-born player to play in MLB history, the second Bahamian player to play for the Cubs (also Andre Rodgers from 1961-64, 490 games), and one of just two active Bahamian players in MLB (also Jazz Chisholm, Jr. with the Yankees). Murray Jr. represented Great Britain in the 2023 and 2026 World Baseball Classics, hitting .192 (5-for-26) with three doubles, two RBI and two stolen bases in eight games.
Murray Jr. was selected by the Cubs in the 15th round of the 2021 draft out of Florida Atlantic University.
The Cubs play the Milwaukee Brewers tonight at 6:40 p.m. at Wrigley Field in a game that can be seen on Marquee Sports Network and heard on 104.3 the Score and, in Spanish, on TUDN 106.7.
