CHICAGO – Former Auburn pitcher Keegan Thompson has been called up to the Chicago Cubs after being added to the team's taxi squad earlier this week.
Thompson will be available out of the bullpen as the Cubs take on Cincinnati today.
With his debut, Thompson will become the 55th Auburn baseball alum to play in the big leagues, including the fourth former Tiger since last season to make his MLB debut. Thompson will also become Auburn head coach Butch Thompson's 17th pitcher to make his MLB debut, including his 11th since 2014.
Thompson was selected by the Cubs in the third round (No. 105 overall) of the 2017 MLB Draft, becoming Auburn's highest-drafted pitcher since 2004.
A native of Cullman, Alabama, Thompson starred at Auburn from 2014-17, missing the 2016 season with an injury, and turned in a 19-10 career record with a 2.46 ERA, which ranks tied for sixth in program history. His 2.01 ERA as a freshman was good for fourth in the Southeastern Conference and his 2.41 clip as a redshirt junior was sixth in the league.
Thompson has made 35 minor league appearances, including 29 starts, and is 10-10 with a 3.47 ERA. He has struck out 151 batters and issued 39 walks in 158.2 professional innings.
Thompson, who is rated by MLB.com as the Cubs No. 14 prospect, was named to the team's 40-man roster last fall and appeared in four games in Spring Training. He struck out five batters in 5.0 innings.
