Brandon Hughes #40

Brandon is in his second stint with the Cubs organization after signing a Minor League contract with the club Jan. 31, 2025...Is 2-6 with a 4.75 ERA (47 ER/89.0 IP) and eight saves in 89 career Major League games (two starts)...Owns a career 8-7 record with a 2.50 ERA (42 ER/151.2 IP), five saves in 109 career Minor League games, all in relief...Spent the 2024 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks after he was non-tendered by the Cubs in Nov. 2023...Made his Major League debut May 17, 2022 vs. Pittsburgh...Was an MiLB.com Organizational All-Star in 2021...Transitioned to a pitcher from an outfielder in 2018...Spent the first two seasons of his professional career (2017-18) as an outfielder, batting .241 (127-for-528) with 26 doubles, one triple, five home runs and 51 RBI in 150 games...Was drafted by the Cubs in the 16th round of the 2017 draft out of Michigan State...As a junior at Michigan State in 2017, earned Second-Team All-Big Ten honors…led the Big Ten and set a school record with 30 stolen bases...Graduated from Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, Mich., where he was twice named First-Team All-State, All-Region, All-League and All-District.

2024

Brandon split the 2024 campaign between Triple-A Reno (40 games) and the Arizona Diamondbacks (15 games)…Went 0-0 with an 8.15 ERA (16 ER in 17.2 IP) and 21 strikeouts with the D-backs and 1-4 with a 2.03 ERA (11 ER/48.2 IP) with Reno...Held lefties to a .152 average (5-for-33) with one walk, 12 strikeouts and no extra-base hits allowed...Started the season at Reno and had his contract selected on April 30...Made his D-backs debut the same day vs. Dodgers (0 ER/1.0 IP)…Held the opponent scoreless in five of his first six games (5.1 IP)…Made his second career start as an opener May 22 at Dodgers (0 ER/0.2 IP)...Was optioned and recalled by Arizona twice more before being designated for assignment and outrighted to Reno on Aug. 2...Was again selected from Reno on Sept. 14 and appeared in three more Major League games, tossing 3.2 scoreless innings.

2023

Limited to 17 games with the Cubs due to left knee surgery on June 28…went 0-3 with a 7.24 ERA (11 ER in 13.2 IP), 17 strikeouts and an 11.20 K/9.0 IP...Combined to go 2-0 with a 9.00 ERA (11 ER in 11.0 IP) over 11 games in two rehab stints with Triple-A Iowa.

2022

Brandon made his Major League debut in 2022...he went 2-3 with a 3.12 ERA (20 ER/57.2 IP), eight saves, eight holds, a 1.09 WHIP and a .200 opponents' average (42-for-210) in 57 outings with the Cubs... Ranked second among all Cubs relievers in games played, and third in saves and strikeouts (68)....Held right-handed hitters to a .183 average (23-for-126), while lefties batted .226 (19-for-84) against him....Pitched 16.2 scoreless innings in 10 minor league outings between Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa before having his contract selected by the Cubs....During his Major League debut on May 17 vs. Pittsburgh, struck out five batters, becoming the fourth reliever in Cubs history (since 1901) to record five-or-more strikeouts in their major league debut (last Adbert Alzolay, 5, June 20, 2019).. According to Elias, he became the first Cubs pitcher in the expansion era to strike out each of the first four batters of his career....Went 1-0 with a 0.87 ERA (1 ER/10.1 IP) with 12 strikeouts in 12 games in July....Earned his first career win on July 1 vs. Boston, tossing 1.0 scoreless inning in the Cubs' 6-5 victory....Tossed 2.0 scoreless innings with three strikeouts, recording a hold in the MLB at Field of Dreams Game on Aug. 11....Aug. 18 in Baltimore, notched his first career save (0 ER/1.0 IP).