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Cubs call-up Baez, three others

Wada, Cahill, Berry join Chicago for stretch run
September 1, 2015

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Chicago Cubs today made a series of roster moves affecting Iowa's active roster for tonight's games at Oklahoma City. The Cubs have recalled infielder Javy Baez and left-handed pitcher Tsuyoshi Wada, and selected the contracts of right-handed pitcher Trevor Cahill and outfielder Quintin Berry. Furthermore, infielder Mike Olt has been designated for assignment. Right-handed pitcher Michael Wager has also been promoted to Iowa from Single-A South Bend, and right-handed pitcher P.J. Francescon and infielder Ryan Dent have joined the I-Cubs from Double-A Tennessee.

Baez, 22, batted .324 (91-for-281) with 14 doubles, two triples, 13 home runs, 61 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 70 games with Iowa this season. He turned in a .385 on-base percentage and .527 slugging percentage, good for a .912 OPS, and joins Chicago riding a 16-game hitting streak. Baez made his major league debut last season and batted .169 (36-for-213) with six doubles, nine homers and 20 RBI in 52 games. He was Chicago's first round pick (ninth overall) in the 2011 Draft.

Wada, 34, returns to Chicago after going 1-1 with a 3.73 ERA (13ER/31.1IP) in seven starts earlier this season. With Iowa, Wada went 4-5 with a 3.95 ERA (38ER/86.2IP) in 16 starts this season. Wada made his big league debut with the Cubs last year and has combined to go 5-5 with a 3.40 ERA (38 ER/100.2 IP) in 20 major league starts the last two years.

Cahill, 27, signed a minor league deal with Chicago on August 18 and turned in five scoreless relief outings with Iowa, covering 7.2 innings. The righthander broke into the big leagues with Oakland in 2009 and was an 18-game winner a season later, going 18-8 with a 2.97 ERA (65ER/196.2IP) in 30 starts while earning A.L. All-Star honors along the way. Overall, Cahill won 10 or more games in four-straight seasons (2009-12) and is 64-72 with one save and a 4.16 ERA (493ER/1,066.2IP) in 201 major league outings (28 in relief) with Oakland (2009-11), Arizona (2012-14) and Atlanta (2015).

Berry, 30, went 2-for-14 with two RBI in five games for Iowa. He signed a minor league deal with Chicago on August 24 after spending the entire season with Boston's Triple-A Pawtucket affiliate, where he batted .228 (82-for-359) with a .329 on-base percentage and 35 steals in 106 games. He has spent parts of three major league seasons with Detroit (2012), Boston (2013) and Baltimore (2014), batting .266 (80-for-301) with a .337 on-base percentage in 117 games, and is a perfect 25-for-25 in stolen base attempts in the regular season and a perfect 5-for-5 in the postseason.

Olt, 27, batted .265 (56-for-211) with nine home runs and 25 RBI in 59 games for Iowa this year. He appeared in six games with Chicago before he landed on the disabled list with a hairline fracture of his right wrist, suffered April 11 in Colorado. Olt was acquired from Texas, July 22, 2013, in the five-player deal that sent pitcher Matt Garza to the Rangers, and last season hit .160 (36-for-225) with 12 home runs in 89 games for the Cubs.

Soriano, 35, had no record and a 1.80 ERA (1ER/5.0IP) in five games with Iowa this season. The veteran righty went 2-0 with a 6.35 ERA (4ER/5.2IP) in six relief appearances for Chicago this year. Soriano was designated for assignment by Chicago upon his activation from the DL.

Dent, 26, returns to the I-Cubs for a second stint this season. He previously batted .268 (11-for-41) with a home run and six RBI in 18 games with Iowa between June 8 and July 9. The Long Beach, Calif., native hit .256 (56-for-219) with four homers and 24 RBI in 72 games for the Smokies this year.

Francescon, 26, went 4-2 with a 1.69 ERA (10ER/53.1IP), 22 saves and 50 strikeouts in 42 appearances for the Smokies as their closer this season. His 22 saves rank second in the Southern League. He has appeared in 101 games for the Smokies since 2012, going 17-8 with a 3.01 ERA (51ER/152.1IP), 23 saves and 119 strikeouts, and was named a SL Mid-season All-Star in both 2014 and 2015.

The Nolansville, Tenn., was drafted by Chicago in the 40th round of the 2011 June draft out of Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, Tenn.

Wagner, 23, rejoins Iowa for the second time this season and will start game one of tonight's doubleheader against Oklahoma City. He went 0-1 with a 6.97 ERA (8ER/10.1IP) in six games for the I-Cubs between April 20 and May 18 earlier this season.

The Las Vegas native went a combined 2-3 with a 3.51 ERA (23ER/59.0IP), 45 strikeouts and 22 walks in 20 games, including five starts, with Double-A Tennessee and South Bend between tours with the I-Cubs this season.

With these moves, Iowa's active roster is at 23 players plus two players on the disabled list..

Iowa has now made 203 player transactions this season, a franchise record. The mark broke the previous record of 172 set in 2013. It is the third time in four seasons the I-Cubs have set a transactions record.

Iowa and Oklahoma City play two seven-inning contests as part of a doubleheader beginning at 4:35 p.m. CT at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark tonight. The I-Cubs enter the afternoon trailing the Dodgers by 3.0 games in the American Northern Division standings with four games to play in the series, and eight regular season games remaining.