Cubs recall RHP Esmailin Caridad from Triple-A Iowa

NEW YORK - The Chicago Cubs today recalled right-handed pitcher Esmailin Caridad from Triple-A Iowa.

Caridad, who wears uniform No. 33, is available for today's game at Citi Field against the New York Mets at 12:10 p.m. CT. The Cubs now have 31 players on their active roster.

The 25-year-old Caridad begins his second stint with Chicago after his contract was selected from August 10. He made his major league debut out of the bullpen with three relief outings before he was optioned back to Iowa August 25. He has no record with a 3.68 ERA (3 ER/7.1 IP), walking one and striking out eight, and his most recent big league outing was August 20 at Los Angeles (1.0 IP).

Caridad has spent the majority of the year with Triple-A Iowa, posting a 5-10 record with a 4.17 ERA (61 ER/131.2 IP) in 25 starts. He struck out

114 batters, good for an average of 7.7 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched, while walking just 46. Caridad limited right-handed hitters to a .223 batting average and walked two or fewer in 17 of his 25 outings.

Originally signed by the Cubs as a non-drafted free agent prior to the

2008 season, Caridad split last year between Single-A Daytona and Double-A Tennessee. He combined to go 13-7 with a 3.73 ERA (63 ER/152.0

IP) in 28 appearances, all but one as a starter, between the two spots.

He also pitched for Mesa in the 2008 Arizona Fall League, going 2-1 with a 3.94 ERA (7 ER/16.0 IP) in 10 appearances.

A native of Haina, Dominican Republic, the 5-foot-10, 193-pound Caridad spent the majority of the 2007 season with the Hiroshima Carp's Dominican Academy, though he did make two scoreless relief appearances for Hiroshima in Japan that year. The Cubs signed Caridad following that season upon the recommendation of Jose Serra, the club's Latin American Coordinator.