Trending Now - Cubs Sign Ex-all-star Closer Hendriks to Minor League Contract

WHO:

NY Post - Liam Hendriks, a three-time All-Star and two-time AL Reliever of the Year.

MLB.com - Cubs, a Major League Baseball team, and Liam Hendriks.

WHAT:

MLB.com - The Cubs have agreed to a Minor League deal with Liam Hendriks.

MLB.com - Hendriks led all relievers with a collective 9.5 fWAR from 2019-22.

MLB.com - Hendriks has a career 2.26 ERA (188 ERA+) and averaged 13.5 K/9 during his peak years.

MLB.com - Hendriks made only five appearances in 2023 before suffering an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.

MLB.com - Hendriks logged just 18 2/3 innings over the last three years.

WHERE:

MLB.com - The Cubs are based in Chicago, Illinois.

MLB.com - Hendriks made his Red Sox debut in Boston.

WHEN:

MLB.com - Hendriks was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in the offseason of 2022.

MLB.com - Hendriks made his long-awaited Red Sox debut on April 19, 2025.

MLB.com - Hendriks was transferred to the 60-day IL on July 8 after suffering a setback.

WHY:

MLB.com - The Cubs are taking a low-risk chance on Hendriks in hopes he can remain healthy and recapture his previous form.

HOW:

MLB.com - Hendriks underwent a right elbow ulnar nerve transposition procedure after experiencing complications from Tommy John surgery.

(UPDATED May 14, 2026 04:19 UTC)

The Chicago Cubs have signed Liam Hendriks, a three-time All-Star and two-time AL Reliever of the Year, to a Minor League deal as they look to take a low-risk chance on his potential return to form. Hendriks, who has a career ERA of 2.26 and led all relievers with a collective 9.5 fWAR from 2019 to 2022, has faced challenges in recent years, including a diagnosis of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and elbow surgery that limited him to just 18 and two-thirds innings over the last three seasons. After making his long-awaited Red Sox debut on April 19, 2025, Hendriks was placed on the 60-day injured list on July 8 due to a setback following Tommy John surgery.