Kevin Gausman is expected to make his Chicago Cubs debut on Friday night when the team faces the Kansas City Royals.
Gausman, 35, was acquired by the Cubs from the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday. He was added to Chicago's active roster before Wednesday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, with left-hander Antoine Kelly being optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
The veteran right-hander joins a revamped Cubs rotation that also includes Clay Holmes. Chicago also bolstered its pitching staff with the additions of reliever Ryan Zeferjahn and left-hander Braxton Garrett in separate deals prior to Monday's trade deadline.
"When I told my wife it was the Cubs, she was like, ‘It’s about time,’" Gausman said, referencing his long-standing association with the team throughout his career. "Because just in Baltimore [with the Orioles] for years, it seemed like it was kind of always a link to here. ... Happy that I’m here finally."
This season, Gausman has compiled a 5-10 record with a 4.38 earned run average in 23 starts. Notably, he allowed seven runs on seven hits in two innings during a game against the Cubs on June 19.
Despite recent results, Gausman brings a consistent track record to Chicago. He has pitched at least 174 2/3 innings and made at least 31 starts in each of the previous five years. In his last start for Toronto on Saturday, he allowed one run over 5 2/3 innings in a win against the St. Louis Cardinals.
Gausman also has postseason experience, having helped the Blue Jays reach the 2025 World Series. In six postseason starts that year, he went 2-3 with a 2.93 ERA. He expressed his desire to return to the World Series with his new team.
"Once you’re there, all you want to do is get back," Gausman said. "So I’m really excited to hopefully get back there with this team."
Manager Craig Counsell faces intriguing pitching decisions with the Cubs' deadline acquisitions. The team also has right-hander Edward Cabrera and relievers Daniel Palencia and Hoby Milner on rehab assignments. Colin Rea has been moved to the bullpen temporarily after his next scheduled start was skipped.
"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 stated regarding the team's pitching adjustments. "... I also think that we have some competition kind of in the starting rotation right now, too."