Yankees acquire Cubs reliever Mark Leiter Jr.

Field Level Media|published: Tue 30th July, 14:52 2024

Jun 13, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. (38) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Yankees acquired reliever Mark Leiter Jr. from the Chicago Cubs ahead of Tuesday's trade deadline.

The Cubs received two prospects -- infielder Ben Cowles and right-hander Jack Neely -- in exchange.

Leiter, 33, is 2-4 with a 4.21 ERA in 39 relief appearances this season with the Cubs. The right-hander has struck out 53 batters and walked 13 in 36 1/3 innings.

Since returning from the injured list on July 9, Leiter has retired all 23 batters faced over seven relief appearances, recording 14 strikeouts during that stretch (7 2/3 innings).

Leiter has a career record of 8-21 with seven saves and a 4.53 ERA in 190 games (15 starts) with the Philadelphia Phillies (2017-18), Toronto Blue Jays (2018) and Cubs (2022-24).

Cowles, 24, was a 10th-round draft pick by the Yankees in 2021 and has yet to make his major league debut. He is batting .295 with nine homers, 51 RBIs and 14 stolen bases in 88 games this season at Double-A Somerset, where he has made starts at shortstop, second base and third base.

Neely, 24, was an 11th-round pick by New York in 2021 and has also not appeared in the majors. This season he is 1-1 with a 2.81 ERA and six saves in 31 relief appearances between Somerset and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

--Field Level Media