CHICAGO -- Chicago Cubs pitcher Randy Wells, who was designated for assignment Wednesday, has cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Iowa.

Wells was 1-2 with a 5.34 ERA with the Cubs and in his 12 appearances, four of them were starts. It was those last two starts, though, that forced the Cubs to make a move with the right-hander.

Taking Ryan Dempster’s turn the last two times through the rotation, Wells struggled to find the strike zone. He walked four batters in each of the starts, which didn’t bode well since manager Dale Sveum pleaded with him to throw strikes and take chances will balls in play.

Wells did have a minor-league option, but by designating him for assignment and taking on the risk of sending him through waivers it opened a spot on the 40-man roster.

The Cubs are expected to add outfielder Jorge Soler to the 40-man roster when he is officially signed at some point this weekend. The Cuba native has already agreed to a nine-year, $30 million deal with the Cubs, which has to be signed before Monday.

Under the new collective bargaining agreement, all international signings after Sunday can only be for a maximum of $2.9 million.