Cubs claim first baseman Frank Schwindel off waivers

PHOENIX – The Chicago Cubs today claimed first baseman Frank Schwindel off waivers from the Oakland Athletics and optioned him to Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs 40-man roster stands at 40 players.

Schwindel, 29, owns a .287 average (922-for-3,216) with 213 doubles, 134 home runs and 540 RBI in 833 career minor league games, including a .300 average (382-for-1,274) and an .868 OPS in 325 games spanning four seasons at the Triple-A level.

The right-handed hitting Schwindel has spent a majority of this season with Triple-A Las Vegas, hitting .317 (60-for-189) with a .362 on-base percentage and a .620 slugging mark to go along with 11 doubles, 16 home runs and 41 RBI in 45 games.

Schwindel made his major league debut in 2019 with the Royals, appearing in six games. He signed with the Athletics as a free agent this past offseason and appeared in eight games for Oakland this year. All told, Schwindel has hit .114 (4-for-35) with one double, one home run and three RBI in 14 major league games.

The six-foot, one-inch, 220-pound Schwindel was originally drafted by Kansas City in the 18th round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. The Livingston, N.J., native attended St. John’s University and has spent parts of 10 professional seasons with the Royals (2013-19), Tigers (2019-20) and Athletics (2021) organizations.