Michael Rucker (baseball)

Michael Patrick Rucker (born April 27, 1994) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs.

Amateur career
Rucker played high school baseball while attending Auburn Riverside High School in Auburn, Washington. In 2011, as a junior, he was 8–2 with a 1.51 earned run average (ERA). Undrafted out of high school in the 2012 Major League Baseball draft, Rucker enrolled at Gonzaga University to play college baseball for the Bulldogs. After his freshman year at Gonzaga, he transferred to Brigham Young University (BYU), where he played baseball for the Cougars.

In 2016, as a junior at BYU, Rucker posted an 11–1 record, with a 2.73 ERA over $102 1⁄3$ innings, earning a spot on the All-West Coast Conference First Team. After his junior year, Rucker was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 11th round of the 2016 Major League Baseball draft, and he signed with them for $180,000.

Chicago Cubs
After signing, Rucker made his professional debut with the Arizona League Cubs before finishing the season with the Eugene Emeralds; in $12 2⁄3$ relief innings pitched between both teams, he did not give up an earned run and was 3–0. He began 2017 with the South Bend Cubs, and after seven relief appearances in which he compiled a 1.42 ERA, he was promoted to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, where he transitioned into a starting pitcher. In 20 games (15 starts) for Myrtle Beach, he was 5–5 with a 2.51 ERA. He spent the 2018 season with the Tennessee Smokies, going 9–6 with a 3.73 ERA in 26 starts. He returned to Tennessee to begin 2019 and was promoted to the Iowa Cubs during the season. Over $79 2⁄3$ innings (pitched mainly in relief), Rucker compiled a 0–3 record with a 4.18 ERA and 93 strikeouts.

On December 12, 2019, Rucker was selected by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2019 Rule 5 draft. On March 6, 2020, the Orioles returned Rucker to the Cubs. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. To begin the 2021 season, he was assigned to Iowa.

On July 30, 2021, Chicago selected his contract and promoted him to the active roster. He made his MLB debut that night against the Washington Nationals, throwing two innings of relief, giving up one run while recording one strikeout. With the Cubs in 2021, he pitched $28 1⁄3$ innings in relief with a 6.99 ERA and thirty strikeouts.

On August 10, 2022, Rucker earned his first career win after tossing a scoreless seventh inning against the Washington Nationals. He finished the year with a 3.95 ERA across 41 appearances. In 2023, Rucker pitched in 35 games for Chicago, registering a 4.91 ERA with 40 strikeouts across $40 1⁄3$ innings pitched. Rucker was designated for assignment by the Cubs on February 1, 2024.

Philadelphia Phillies
On February 6, 2024, the Cubs traded Rucker to the Philadelphia Phillies for cash considerations. He began the year on the injured list with a right hand arterial vasospasm, and was transferred to the 60–day injured list on June 3.