Cubs benefiting from Aaron Civale role change that never happened with Guardians 

On July 15, the Athletics designated Aaron Civale for assignment after two dismal months spent in Sacramento. At the time, it would have been fair to wonder if that was it for Civale’s big league opportunities in 2026 given his struggles (5.33 ERA) and lack of success as a starter over the past two seasons. 

Turns out his path to success involved pitching for a familiar face in a different role. The Cubs ended up claiming Civale on waivers, reuniting him with the club he finished 2025 with.

And, much like last season, Civale has had a ton of success on the North Side of Chicago thanks in large part to a shift to the bullpen that has led to Civale having one of the best stretches of his career. 

Aaron Civale has become a legitimate bullpen weapon for the Cubs

This is the second straight year Civale has morphed into a long relief weapon with the Cubs after struggling as a starter earlier in the season. 

Last year, he finished the season with a 2.08 ERA in 13 innings out of Chicago’s bullpen after struggling in the Brewers’ and White Sox’s rotation. Although he only spent a month with the Cubs, they trusted him enough to add him to their postseason roster (and he rewarded their faith with 4 1/3 scoreless innings). 

This year has been even better for Civale, who entered play on Wednesday with a 1.27 ERA in 28 1/3 innings out of Chicago’s bullpen. 

He’s done a bit of everything for the Cubs, ranging from a single-inning extra innings appearance against the Cardinals (that helped him earn the second save of his career) to a four inning bulk appearance where he picked up the win after allowing just one hit. 

Civale’s been even better of late, as he’s recorded 15 2/3 straight scoreless innings with 19 strikeouts. 

It’s a bit jarring to think of Civale as a reliever given he was nothing but a starter during his time with the Guardians. And it’s not like Cleveland was the only team to do that; he’d never appeared as a reliever in any game with the Rays, Brewers or White Sox. Plus, the Athletics rolled the dice on him as a starter this year. 

It took Civale’s career being on its last legs for that change to stick, and it’s taken him being in that exact same situation for it to stick again. 

Last year his inclusion on the Cubs’ postseason roster seemed like an interesting wrinkle — now it’s reached a point where he needs to be on their roster come October. 

Even if Civale pitching better than his expected statistics, he’s become a key cog for one of the best teams in baseball. It may not be the role Guardians fans expected him to excel in, but it’s the role he’s found himself in.  

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