Rea is a candidate to break camp as the Cubs' fifth starter after Jose Quintana underwent thumb surgery Thursday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Quintana's status for the start of the season in serious doubt, Alec Mills is the early frontrunner to step in as the team's fifth starter, though president of baseball operations Theo Epstein also mentioned Rea and Adbert Alzolay as potential options. Rea, who hasn't appeared in the majors since 2016, compiled a 3.95 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 120 strikeouts across 148 innings (26 starts) with Triple-A Iowa in 2019.