Flexen was released by the Cubs on Sunday, per MLB's transactions log.
Flexen was designated for assignment by Chicago on Tuesday and failed to draw interest on the waiver wire. He'll search for an opportunity elsewhere rather than accept a minor-league assignment.
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Cubs' Chris Flexen: Dropped from 40-man
Rotowire
The Cubs designated Flexen for assignment Tuesday.
Although he looked like a dominant force out of the bullpen for much of the first half of the season, Flexen has been in a rough patch lately, posting a 7.24 ERA and 1.68 WHIP across 13.2 innings since the beginning of July. His sudden decline will now cost him his spot on the Cubs, though another team looking for a multi-inning bullpen option could pick him up and aim to get him back on track. Gavin Hollowell was recalled from Triple-A to fill the opening in Chicago's bullpen.
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Cubs' Chris Flexen: Struggles continue Friday
Rotowire
Flexen allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits across two innings of relief in Friday's 12-5 loss to the White Sox. He struck out two.
Shota Imanaga allowed seven runs in his three innings of work to take the loss, so Flexen was off the hook there, but the latter still continued a disappointing stretch of games. Over his last three appearances, Flexen has allowed 11 earned runs across nine innings. This included his first start of the season, when he allowed three runs over four innings against the Yankees on July 11. The rough patch has raised Flexen's ERA from 0.83 to 3.02. The veteran righty will look to get back on track soon, but his fantasy value is already limited by his long-relief role.
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Cubs' Chris Flexen: Roughed up in relief Monday
Rotowire
Flexen surrendered five earned runs on seven hits and one walk while failing to record a strikeout over three innings of relief in Monday's 12-4 loss to the Royals.
Flexen made a four-inning start against the Yankees in his final appearance before the All-Star break July 11, but the Cubs shifted him back to the bullpen to begin the second half. He ended up being one of two bulk relievers the Cubs deployed behind opening pitcher Ryan Brasier on Monday, with Ben Brown giving up seven runs (six earned) in four innings before Flexen entered the contest in the top of the sixth. The Cubs still have a void in the rotation until Jameson Taillon (calf) returns from the injured list, so Flexen and/or Brown could be called upon to start or work in bulk relief the next time a fifth spot in the rotation comes up Sunday against the White Sox.
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Cubs' Chris Flexen: Takes first loss
Rotowire
Flexen (5-1) took the loss Friday against the Yankees after giving up three earned runs on three hits and three walks while striking out two batters over four innings.
Flexen made his first start of the campaign Friday after spending most of the season working as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen. He kept the Yankees off the scoreboard for two innings, but back-to-back singles to lead off the third followed by an Aaron Judge sacrifice fly and a Cody Bellinger two-run blast gave New York a lead it wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the game. Flexen's ERA still sits at 1.47 on the year despite his rough performance Friday, and he'll likely get another opportunity to start after the All-Star break with Jameson Taillon (calf) set to remain out until August.
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Cubs' Chris Flexen: In line to start Friday
Rotowire
Flexen is slated to start Friday's game against the Yankees in New York.
The veteran right-hander will pick up his first start of the season Friday, filling the rotation spot that had previously been occupied by Jameson Taillon (calf). Flexen tossed 3.2 innings and 64 pitches in bulk relief the last time Taillon's turn came up Saturday, but he should be capable of giving the Cubs more length Friday. Flexen hasn't missed many bats (13.9 percent strikeout rate) while working out of the bullpen this season, but he's limited walks (6.6 percent walk rate) and has netted an 0.83 ERA and 0.86 WHIP in 32.2 innings. Regression could set in sooner rather than later however, as those numbers are buoyed by an unsustainable 95.2 percent strand rate and a .189 BABIP, well below his career mark of .302.
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Cubs' Chris Flexen: Earns fifth win Thursday
Rotowire
Flexen (5-0) tossed a scoreless inning of relief with a strikeout to earn the win in Thursday's 1-0, 10-inning victory over the Guardians.
Flexen continued his strong season for the Cubs, as he has a 0.62 ERA and 0.83 WHIP along with a perfect 5-0 record across 29 innings out of the bullpen. It's the most wins for the former starter since he went 8-9 in 33 appearances (22 starts) for Seattle back in 2022. Flexen doesn't provide a ton of strikeouts, as he only has 15 of them this year, but he's otherwise been a valuable long reliever for Chicago.
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Cubs' Chris Flexen: Logs two more scoreless innings
Rotowire
Flexen tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Tigers. He allowed three hits and struck out two.
Across nine appearances and 16.1 innings this year, Flexen has still yet to allow any earned runs. The veteran righty has struck out only 10 batters, but he's never been a big strikeout guy during his career. Flexen has established himself as a reliable long reliever despite the lack of overpowering stuff, and he should continue to see steady work out of Chicago's bullpen moving forward.
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Cubs' Chris Flexen: Earns first win of 2025
Rotowire
Flexen (1-0) worked around a hit and a walk to toss two scoreless innings of relief and earn the win in Tuesday's 5-4 victory over the Marlins. He struck out one.
Making his fourth appearance in the majors this season, Flexen picked up his first win. After working as a starter in recent years, the veteran has transitioned to the bullpen in 2025, and he's off to a good start for the Cubs. Flexen has yet to allow a run across seven innings of work and he's struck out six. The righty has also covered multiple innings on two occasions, giving Chicago some valuable length in relief.
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White Sox's Chris Flexen: Suffers 15th loss
Rotowire
Flexen (2-15) took the loss against the Padres on Saturday, allowing four runs on eight hits and two walks over five innings while striking out three.
Flexen ran into trouble throughout the contest, allowing the leadoff man to reach in four of his five innings of work. The right-hander surrendered the first two runs of the contest on a two-run shot from Xander Bogaerts in the bottom of the second and was again victimized by the long ball in the fourth as San Diego took a 3-0 lead. Flexen went on to allow four runs on the night, something he hadn't done in any of his previous five starts, while also issuing multiple walks for the sixth time in his last seven outings. He's now lost his last 12 decisions (spanning 23 starts).
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White Sox's Chris Flexen: Eight strikeouts in no-decision
Rotowire
Flexen did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 7-6 win over the A's. He allowed six hits and two walks while striking out eight over five scoreless innings.
Flexen had one of his better outings of the season as he completed five innings without allowing a run for just the second time all year. The 30-year-old struck out a season-high eight batters and lowered his ERA to 5.09. Despite pitching well and exiting with the lead, Flexen couldn't get the win, and he has now gone 23 straight appearances (22 starts) without recording a win.
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White Sox's Chris Flexen: Takes another loss
Rotowire
Flexen (2-14) took the loss Monday against the Orioles, allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks across 3.1 innings. He struck out five.
Flexen labored through three-plus frames, requiring 95 pitches (54 strikes) to retire just 10 batters. He's now lost 11 straight decisions (covering a span of 21 outings) and leads MLB with 14 losses this season. The right-hander has a 5.36 ERA in 137.2 frames in 2024.
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White Sox's Chris Flexen: Takes 12th loss
Rotowire
Flexen (2-12) allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out one over four innings to take the loss Saturday versus the Astros.
Flexen was decent over the first two innings, but a three-run third took this start off the rails. It was his 18th start in a row without a win, and it's the third straight outing in which he's failed to complete five innings. The 30-year-old right-hander is now at a 5.46 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 85:51 K:BB through 122 innings over 26 appearances (24 starts). Flexen's next outing is projected to be at home versus the Tigers.
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White Sox's Chris Flexen: Four walks in no-decision
Rotowire
Flexen allowed three hits and four walks while striking out one over four scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Cubs on Saturday.
Flexen was generous, but the Cubs didn't strike until he was out of the game. The right-hander threw just 40 of 78 pitches for strikes while failing to complete five innings for the fourth time in his last five appearances. He's on a 17-start winless skid, and he's pitched to a 5.34 ERA, 1.50 WHIP and 84:50 K:BB over 118 innings over 25 appearances (23 starts) in 2024. Flexen's next outing is projected to be at Houston.
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White Sox's Chris Flexen: Chased early in loss
Rotowire
Flexen (2-11) allowed eight runs (six earned) on seven hits and three walks over 1.2 innings Sunday, striking out three and taking a loss against the Twins.
Flexen gave up a pair of runs in the first inning before the Twins broke out with a six-run second. He failed to complete at least three innings for the first time since June 14. In 16 starts since his last win May 8, Flexen has gone 0-8 with a 6.09 ERA. His season ERA is up to 5.53 with an 83:46 K:BB through 114 innings. His next outing is projected to be at home against the Cubs.
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White Sox's Chris Flexen: Crushed by Royals
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Flexen (2-9) yielded seven runs on four hits and five walks over 4.2 innings Friday, striking out four and taking a loss against Kansas City.
Flexen allowed two runs through four innings before the Royals broke out with a five-run fifth. It was the second time he gave up seven runs in a start this year, with the last one coming against the Yankees on May 19. His season ERA jumped from 4.82 to 5.22 with the ugly start and he's produced a lackluster 75:41 K:BB through 101.2 innings. Flexen is currently lined up to start in Texas next week.
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White Sox's Chris Flexen: Registers another quality start
Rotowire
Flexen allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four batters over six innings in a no-decision against Minnesota on Monday.
Flexen served up a solo homer to Trevor Larnach in the first inning but yielded just one more run over the remainder of his outing. He picked up his third quality start over his past four appearances, though he doesn't have a victory over that span. In fact, Flexen's last win came 12 starts ago May 8. He's been giving the White Sox good length of late, though, going at least 5.2 frames in each of his past four starts.
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White Sox's Chris Flexen: Logs quality start in no-decision
Rotowire
Flexen did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Guardians, allowing six runs (three earned) on six hits and one walk with three strikeouts over six innings.
Flexen entered the sixth inning in a 3-3 tie, but an error by Paul DeJong led to three unearned runs before he finished the frame at 101 pitches. It wasn't the most appealing quality start, but Flexen has now logged two in his past three outings. The 30-year-old has not recorded a win since May 8 and owns a 5.08 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 63:33 K:BB over 85 innings. He lines up for a road matchup with the Marlins this weekend.
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White Sox's Chris Flexen: Suffers seventh loss
Rotowire
Flexen (2-7) took the loss Tuesday against the Dodgers, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out three.
Things went poorly for Flexen from the get-go as Shohei Ohtani led off the game with a 376-foot homer to right field. The 29-year-old righty has made nine starts since his last win against the Rays on May 8, producing a 5.81 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 35:19 K:BB over 43.1 innings over that span. Flexen looks to capture that elusive third win in his next start, tentatively slated to be against Colorado this weekend.
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White Sox's Chris Flexen: Walks five in loss
Rotowire
Flexen (2-5) allowed two runs on four hits and five walks while striking out six over five innings to take the loss Wednesday versus the Blue Jays.
Flexen doesn't have the best command, but he hit a low point for the year with this outing. The right-hander has surrendered 16 runs across 18.1 innings over his last four starts, and Wednesday was the first time in that span he's completed five innings. He's now at a 5.50 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 42:22 K:BB over 54 innings across 12 appearances (10 starts) this season. Flexen is projected to make his next start on the road versus the Cubs.
