A week after being released by the Los Angeles Angels, former Louisiana Ragin Cajuns catcher Jonathan Lucroy found a new home on Wednesday with the Chicago Cubs.
This news was first reported by Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. Lucroy is coming off of a rough month that saw him in a brutal collision with Jake Marisnick that resulted in a concussion that sidelined him for several weeks before being designated for assignment.
The move is a necessity due to the injury to Willson Contreras over the weekend and Lucroy will join the team on Thursday as the Cubs begin a four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds.
“To get a player of that caliber right now,” Maddon said after Wednesday’s 10-1 win over Oakland, “with everything that’s going on for us, the misfortune, we’re pretty fortunate with the new rules. If you just put everything in a box and talk about them all, it’s pretty fortunate.”
Lucroy, who has suited up for five teams over a 10-year Major League career, was designated for assignment on Friday after the Angels acquired Max Stassi from the Astros at the July 31 Trade Deadline. He’ll be joining a pair of former teammates in Derek Holland and Cole Hamels when they were all a part of the Texas Rangers organization.
“He’s a great catcher,” Holland said of Lucroy, who caught the pitcher with Texas in 2016. “He’s done a great job of getting the low target, keeping the ball down and a great job of controlling the game-calling. He’s a good clubhouse guy, too. He’s going to bring a lot to the table.”