Cubs select the contract of lefthander Phil Coke

MESA - The Chicago Cubs today selected the contract of left-handed pitcher Phil Coke. The club's 40-man roster now stands at 40 players.

Coke, 32, joined the Cubs on a minor league contract on March 5 after spending the last seven seasons with the New York Yankees (2008-09) and Detroit Tigers (2010-14), going 22-27 with 80 holds, eight saves and a 4.16 ERA (184 ER/398.1 IP) in 383 major league appearances (including 15 starts). He has turned in nine scoreless appearances this spring, covering 7.2 innings pitched.

The lefthander went 5-2 with a 3.88 ERA (25 ER/58.0 IP) in 62 relief appearances for the Tigers last season. In his career, he has limited left-handed hitters to a .243 batting average, a .297 on-base percentage and a .648 OPS. Coke had 21 holds with the Yankees in 2009 and 20 holds with Detroit in 2012.