MESA, Ariz. -- The Cubs entered Spring Training with the hope that Porter Hodge was on the cusp of a strong comeback campaign out of the ballclub’s bullpen. That may still play out this season, but the righty has encountered an obstacle that has stalled that storyline.
On Sunday morning, Cubs manager Craig Counsell revealed that Hodge has been shut down from throwing due to a right flexor strain. Counsell noted that the expectation is that Hodge will begin the season on the injured list, removing one candidate from the pool of pitchers vying for the lone vacancy in the Opening Day bullpen.
“He just didn’t feel right,” Counsell said. “Look, it’s a setback. It’s going to put him certainly behind and it’s going to take him a while to get back to [being] healthy and ready to contribute. So that part’s unfortunate.”
Counsell indicated that Hodge experienced soreness in the wake of his Feb. 27 Cactus League appearance against the Guardians. In that outing, the righty logged 29 pitches in two-thirds of an inning, ending with two walks, two strikeouts and five runs allowed. Hodge had more walks (seven) than strikeouts (five) with seven runs on his line in two innings (three games) this spring.
Hodge will now be shut down from throwing for the next two weeks before being re-evaluated.
Last season, Hodge posted a 6.27 ERA in 36 games amid injury issues (left oblique in May and right shoulder in July) and command troubles. He had multiple stints with Triple-A Iowa and on the IL between his stops with the Cubs. It was a rough sophomore year, following Hodge’s strong rookie performance in '24 (1.88 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 19 walks in 43 innings).
The Cubs’ Opening Day bullpen currently projects to include Daniel Palencia, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner and Jacob Webb. With the rotation full, sixth starter Colin Rea also looks like a virtual lock for a relief job. From there, Ben Brown is a top contender from those on the 40-man roster, while the Cubs are also weighing a group of non-roster invites.
Counsell said the “positive” news is that Hodge’s injury does not appear to be a long-term problem. The Cubs also feel their pitching depth is in a better position to begin the season to help withstand inevitable injury occurrences.
“These are hard jobs -- hard, physical jobs that are going to cause injuries,” Counsell said. “They’re going to happen. That’s how, when you’re putting a roster together, you have to look at it, unfortunately.”
Ramirez impresses in MLB camp stint
Cubs prospect Pedro Ramirez received his MiLB Gold Glove Award prior to Saturday’s game against the A’s. The 21-year-old infielder then launched a home run in the 4-3 Cactus League win for the North Siders. It was a nice snapshot of his potential for the team.
On Sunday, Ramirez (No. 9 on Pipeline’s Top 30 list for the Cubs) was optioned to Double-A Knoxville, but he made the most of his time in big league camp. Beyond his performance on the field (.368 batting average, six RBIs, four steals and three walks compared to one strikeout in 11 games), Ramirez earned rave reviews behind the scenes.
“Pedro has made a very good impression,” Counsell said. “I've had multiple guys on the 26-man roster sing Pedro's praises, which is always a great sign. And, frankly, they’re not talking about him as a player, necessarily. They’re just talking about him as a worker and how he conducts himself. Pedro should be proud of that.”
Wiggins returned to Minors
“There’s a lot of good signs with Jaxon,” Counsell said. “There’s a lot of good things happening. The finishing touches can happen really fast, is how I would describe it. But they can also take a while, right? That’s Jaxon’s job right now, to kind of go complete that and make himself a little bit more of a complete pitcher. But he’s certainly very close.”
Other items of note
- Lefty Jordan Wicks (radial nerve irritation in his left forearm) continues to play catch with an eye toward getting on a mound again by mid-March. That said, Counsell added that Wicks is likely to begin this season on the IL.
- First baseman Jonathan Long (left elbow sprain) is starting to “turn the corner” in his activity, per Counsell. The goal is to have Long ramp up activity in the next week with the goal of returning to game action by next weekend.
- Other roster moves on Sunday: LHP Riley Martin, RHP Jack Neely, INF Ben Cowles and INF James Triantos were optioned to Triple-A Iowa; RHP Grant Kipp, RHP Connor Noland, RHP Connor Schultz were returned to Minor League camp.