Cubs add Maton back to depleted bullpen; Martin out 8 weeks

SAN DIEGO -- The Cubs' bullpen has been dealt blow after blow over the past few weeks, but there was finally a bit of good news ahead of Monday's series opener against the Padres.

The North Siders activated righty Phil Maton -- one of the team's key leverage arms -- from the 15-day injured list, following his recent bout with a right knee issue. To clear a spot on the active roster, Chicago optioned lefty Charlie Barnes to Triple-A Iowa.

Maton's return helps a bullpen that has been doing all it can to patch together holes created by injuries.

“We’re playing very well," Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said over the weekend. "But at the same time, we’re also dealing with a real challenge from a bullpen standpoint. I’ll give guys credit. We’ve had a lot of unexpected performances out of guys that have really helped, but we do need to stabilize and get healthy.”

While Maton has returned, the Cubs are still without Daniel Palencia (left lat), Caleb Thielbar (left hamstring), Hunter Harvey (right triceps), Ethan Roberts (right middle finger) and Riley Martin (left elbow), all on the 15-day IL. Martin hit the shelf most recently, landing on the IL on Sunday with left elbow inflammation that required additional testing.

Manager Craig Counsell noted on Monday that Martin (2.16 ERA in eight games) is expected to be sidelined for around eight weeks after imaging revealed a flexor strain.

“Look,” Counsell said, “it’s another player who was contributing in a pretty large way that we’re going to miss for a chunk of the year. For the positive side, we’re going to get him back. Any time you send somebody for elbow imaging, there’s worse news that can come from those things.”

The 33-year-old Maton last pitched for the Cubs in an outing against the Rays on April 7, when he allowed two runs for a third straight appearance. The veteran reliever was dealing with right knee tendinitis -- a problem he experienced in the second half last season as well -- and it contributed to a noticeable drop in velocity.

Maton, who was signed to a two-year contract over the offseason, landed on the 15-day IL on April 10 and used the last two-plus weeks to focus on rest and recovery, while addressing some mechanical adjustments. He worked one scoreless inning in a rehab outing with Iowa on Friday and then rejoined the Cubs in Los Angeles over the weekend ahead of being activated.

“It’s something where it’s easy to say right now, ‘I think it should be resolved,’” Maton said recently, “with the positioning stuff we’ve done [with the back foot]. But right now, I’m very happy with it. We’ll see how it goes over the course of the year. I’m kind of hoping we addressed it now and we can focus on getting guys out for the rest of the year."

Counsell said there are “no restrictions” on Maton, but the pitcher will have to stay on top of the knee issue as part of his routine and the Cubs will be cautious when it makes sense.

“Any time a guy’s off the injured list from a physical issue, you’re going to always be a little bit careful,” Counsell said. “Will it affect his usage going forward? We’re going to have to find out. I think our hope is no. I think at times, hopefully those times we do have to maybe be conservative with his usage, you’re trying to minimize those times.”