Jeffress walked one and struck out one in a scoreless seventh inning Saturday to record his fourth save of the season in the first game of a doubleheader against the Reds.

EDGE Analysis

He continues to trade save chances with Rowan Wick, and the two right-handers are now tied for the club lead with four saves apiece. Jeffress has a strong 1.35 ERA and 0.83 WHIP through 13.1 innings, but his 8:6 K:BB suggests his hold on a high-leverage job may be shaky.

Jeffress logged 1.1 scoreless innings to record the save in Sunday's 2-1 win over the White Sox. He allowed a hit and two walks, while striking out one.

EDGE Analysis

Jeffress was asked to record the final four outs of the game, and while things got dicey in the ninth with the White Sox loading the bases with two outs, the veteran reliever was able to escape with his third save. Jeffress has been good for the Cubs, as he lowered his ERA to 1.46 with the scoreless effort, and he should continue sharing the closer role with Rowan Wick and potentially Craig Kimbrel.

Jeffress pitched a scoreless seventh inning to record the save in Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader against the Cardinals.

EDGE Analysis

Jeffress set the Cardinals down in order to record his second save of the season. The veteran reliever now has an impressive 0.90 ERA through 10 innings pitched this season, and he's supplanted Craig Kimbrel as the top right-handed option for saves in the Chicago bullpen. Rowan Wick, who leads the team with three saves, is the top lefty option, and the two should continue to share the role for the time being.

Jeffress pitched 1.1 scoreless innings with a strikeout in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Pirates to record a hold.

EDGE Analysis

The hold was the first of the season for Jeffress to go along with a save in three appearances, and he has a perfect 0.00 ERA across his three innings of work so far. The veteran righty could be in the mix for more saves moving forward, as manager David Ross was noncommittal Saturday about Craig Kimbrel and his 27.00 ERA remaining in the closer role, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports. Jeffress and lefty Rowan Wick would seem to be the next candidates in line for saves if Kimbrel gets bumped, possibly splitting the duties and getting chances based on matchups.

Jeffress recorded the final two outs Monday, striking out one, to pick up the save in an 8-7 win over the Reds.

EDGE Analysis

Craig Kimbrel started the ninth inning but couldn't find the plate, giving up two runs on four walks, a HBP and a wild pitch while getting only one out. Cubs manager David Ross had little choice but to hand the ball to Jeffress, and the former Brewer was able to escape the jam Kimbrel created. One outing typically wouldn't result in an immediate change of closers, but in the shortened 2020 campaign, Ross may have a tough time trusting Kimbrel in a high-leverage spot until he turns things around, opening the door for Jeffress to get more save chances.

Jeffress will likely team with Rowan Wick as setup options ahead of Cubs closer Craig Kimbrel, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Wick was dominant for the Cubs last season, posting a 2.43 ERA and 35 strikeouts across 33.1 innings of relief, while Jeffress struggled with a 5.02 ERA for Milwaukee. That could put Wick slightly ahead in the bullpen pecking order for now, but Jeffress did record a stellar 1.29 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 89 strikeouts across 76.2 innings in 2018, so he's had success in recent years. In the righty's down 2019 campaign, his average fastball velocity dipped from 95.3 mph a season earlier to 93.8 mph. If he's able to regain some zip on his fastball, Jeffress could be a nice weapon for Chicago whenever the regular season is able to begin.

Jeffress (hip) is listed among the Cubs' available relief options for Monday's Cactus League game against the Angels.

EDGE Analysis

Jeffress was tending to a strained left hip before he was released by the Brewers in early September, but the right-hander was likely already fully healthy by the time he signed a one-year deal with the Cubs in late January. He'll be taking the hill Monday for his second relief outing of the spring after he tossed a scoreless frame Friday versus the Padres in his Cactus League debut.

Jeffress (hip) signed a one-year, $850,000 deal with the Cubs on Tuesday, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

The Cubs are taking a low-risk gamble that the 32-year-old's 2020 campaign will more closely resemble his 2018 season than his 2019 struggles. Two years ago, he posted a stellar 1.29 ERA while striking out 29.8 percent of opposing batters. Last season, he slumped to a 5.02 ERA as his strikeout rate plummeted to 20.4 percent. He also suffered a hip injury in late April and was released by the Brewers in early September, though it's not clear if that issue is expected to carry forward into this season.

Jeffress (hip) was released by the Brewers on Tuesday, Robert Murray of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Jeffress was designated for assignment Sunday, and as expected, he's now been issued his release. He was unable to replicate his stats from the 2018 season (1.29 ERA with 89 strikeouts over 76.2 innings), posting a 5.02 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with a 46:17 K:BB over 52 frames in 2019.

The Brewers activated Jeffress (hip) from the 10-day injured list Sunday and designated him for assignment.

EDGE Analysis

Jeffress was never truly able to get on track this season after an injury in spring training and has a 7.33 ERA and 1.63 WHIP dating back to June 19. The 31-year-old landed on the injured list Aug. 25 with a left hip strain and resumed throwing Friday. Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Brewers intend to release Jeffress, but they'll start by creating some space on the 40-man roster for September callups. According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the veteran right-hander plans to step away for the rest of the season to try and get healthy for spring training.