David Bote was once thought of as a versatile enough player to keep around on a long-term deal given him by Theo Epstein, a five-year deal that didn’t end until a buyout last year.
And, you know, it might have worked until Bote suffered a serious shoulder injury in May 2021 that kept him out for a couple of months. He was never quite the same player after that, spending time at Triple-A Iowa much of the next two seasons and also in early 2024.
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Called up in June 2024, Bote hit pretty well but started only eight games, playing the rest as a pinch-hitter and defensive replacement… and pitcher.
In the first game of a doubleheader July 13, 2024 in St. Louis, Hayden Wesneski had given up 11 runs in the first four innings. A nine-run inning had just two earned runs largely due to Wesneski’s own fielding error.
The Cubs trailed 11-2 going to the bottom of the eighth so Craig Counsell summoned Bote to pitch that inning.
He gave up a double to Matt Carpenter and walked Willson Contreras, but got out of the inning scoreless when he got Brandon Crawford to ground into this force play [VIDEO].
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Bote played in only 12 more games as a Cub after that and when the Cubs bought out his contract, he signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers. He didn’t play at all in 2025. The Dodgers had apparently told him that he had a decent chance to make their Opening Day roster, but when he didn’t and they asked him to go to Triple-A, he refused. The Dodgers placed him on the restricted list and a few weeks later apparently decided to retire.