Matt Szczur Recalled by Chicago

Des Moines, IA - The Chicago Cubs have recalled OF Matt Szczur and optioned RHP Dan Straily to Iowa. Szczur will be active for today's game against the New York Mets at Citi Field.

Szczur has hit .261 (108-for-414) with 52 runs scored, 16 doubles, one home run, 24 RBI, and 30 stolen bases in 116 games this season. He is tied for fourth in the Pacific Coast League in stolen bases. The last Cubs player to steal 30 bases in a season was Trenidad Hubbard, who swiped 36 in 2004.

Since the All-Star Break, Szczur has batted .315 (39-for-124) with 18 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. He has in hit safely in 17 of his last 19 games with Iowa and 25 of his 29 starts since the break.

The New Jersey native was selected by the Cubs in the fifth round of the 2010 draft out of the University of Villanova. He was also a wide receiver for the football team, where he led Villanova to the Division I FCS Football Championship in 2009. Szczur has hit .280 (535-for-1912) with 101 doubles, 17 triples, 164 RBI, and 120 stolen bases in his five-year Cubs career. This is Szczur's first major league call-up.  

Straily allowed five earned runs on four hits, walked three, and struck out four in his Chicago Cubs debut last night against the Mets. He has gone 3-3 with a 3.00 ERA (13ER/39IP), walked 13, and stuck out 40 in seven starts with Iowa this season. He was acquired in a trade from Oakland with IF Addison Russell and OF Billy McKinney for RHPs Jeff Samardzija and Jason Hammel on July 5. He will be added to Iowa's roster when he reports.

The Cubs host the Salt Lake Bees for the second game of a four-game series today at 1:05. RH Felix Doubront (0-0, 6.75) makes his second start on major league rehab assignment for the Cubs against LH Wade LeBlanc (9-3, 4.13). The game will be broadcast live on AM 940 and 104.5 FM. It will also be streamed live at iowacubs.com, with the On-Deck Circle Pre-Game Show starting at 12:45 PM.