Caridad the Latest Roster Addition

DENVER – The Chicago Cubs today selected the contract of right-handed pitcher Esmailin Caridad from Triple-A Iowa. To make room for Caridad on the roster, the Cubs optioned right-handed pitcher Jeff Stevens to Triple-A.

Caridad, who will wear uniform number 33, joins the first major league roster of his career and is available for tonight’s game in Colorado.

The 25-year-old Caridad is 5-10 with a 4.15 ERA (58 ER/125.2 IP) in 23 starts with Iowa this season, including a 1-1 record with a 2.74 ERA (7 ER/23.0 IP) in his last four starts. He was a non-roster invitee to Cubs spring training in 2009, posting no record and a 0.00 ERA (6.0 IP) in six Cactus League relief appearances.

Caridad was signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent prior to the 2008 season and split last year between Single-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee. He combined to go 13-7 with a 3.73 ERA (63 ER/152.0 IP) in 28 appearances, all but one as a starter, between the two spots. He also pitched for Mesa in the 2008 Arizona Fall League, going 2-1 with a 3.94 ERA (7 ER/16.0 IP) in 10 appearances.

A native of Haina, Dominican Republic, the 5-foot-10, 193-pound Caridad spent the majority of the 2007 season with Japan’s Hiroshima Carp’s Dominican Academy, though he did make two scoreless relief appearances for Hiroshima in Japan that year. The Cubs signed Caridad following that season upon the recommendation of Jose Serra, the club’s Latin American Coordinator.

Stevens has no record and a 7.36 ERA (6 ER/7.1 IP) in six relief appearances for the Cubs this season. He is 0-3 with two saves and a 2.11 ERA (10 ER/42.2 IP) in 31 relief appearances for Iowa this year.