Last-Second Injury Changes Opening Day Cubs Bullpen

A last-second injury will change the look of the Opening Day Cubs bullpen against the Diamondbacks. The team officially placed three players on the injured list, including two relievers on Wednesday.

We already knew about Tyson Miller's hip issue, but now veteran righty Ryan Brasier will also miss the first few weeks of the regular season with a hip injury of his own.

Cubs Insider had the scoop on Brasier's hip injury Wednesday night.

Ryan Brasier Headed to IL with Hip Issuehttps://t.co/3CSYCmFdZv

— Jacob Zanolla (@jacobzanolla) March 27, 2025

The Cubs acquired Brasier from the Dodgers after he was designated for assignment this past offseason. The 37-year-old posted a 1.87 ERA in 66.2 innings in parts of two seasons pitching for the Dodgers. Brasier was limited to 29 appearances in 2024, missing significant time with a calf injury. He did return in mid-August and pitched in the postseason for the Dodgers.

Unfortunately, Brasier was not sharp in his final spring training appearance with the Cubs earlier this week against the Braves. The right-hander was tagged with four earned runs on four hits, which included three home runs. That performance was after he labored through an appearance in Game 2 of the Tokyo Series against the Dodgers.

So, we know Brad Keller is going to be in the bullpen and he's taking Miller's spot, and it appears as though Eli Morgan will end up being one of the eight relievers on the pitching staff after all.

Last week it was reported that Morgan along with left-handed starting pitcher Jordan Wicks were optioned to Triple-A. It was a mild surprise seeing the Morgan demotion, but it was explained away as a numbers game, he had minor league options and the Cubs needed to clear a spot for Keller, who impressed the team in spring training.

However, Wicks was the only one who shows up on the official transactions page being optioned to Triple-A. It looks like Morgan was never actually demoted and he'll be in the bullpen Thursday night in Arizona, replacing the injured Brasier.

Morgan pitched 1.1 scoreless innings against the Dodgers in his Cubs debut. The 28-year-old posted a 1.93 ERA in 32 games for the Cleveland Guardians in 2024.