Hey, Ian Happ did only miss the minimum amount of time on the injured list with his minor oblique issue, so maybe the Cubs are on a little hot streak of actually getting players back when they say they will be. This time around it's right-handed reliever Porter Hodge, who had stepped back into the closer role, but is currently on the 15-day injured list with an oblique issue of his own.
A recent update on Hodge points to a minimum stint on the injured list, which is a great surprise. Any time a pitcher gets sidelined with an oblique injury you almost always expect them to be out for at least a month. However, it appears as though the left oblique coupled with another issue was enough for the Cubs to place Hodge on the IL and not so much because it was one serious injury.
Cubs pitching coaching Tommy Hottovy said this week that Hodge was also dealing with a tight hip.
Via the Chicago Sun-Times.
‘Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said Hodge also has had tightness in his hip, which likely has affected his fastball command.
‘‘Being able to spend some time to focus on [fastball command] while we’re ramping him back up is going to be a really positive thing,’’ Hottovy said.’
Hodge went on the 15-day injured list on May 20, a day after Daniel Palencia blew a save opportunity against the Marlins. Cubs manager Craig Counsell used Palencia in the ninth and didn't reveal Hodge's unavailability until after the game.
Counsell gave an encouraging update on Hodge Wednesday, saying that the pitcher was not shut down and actually threw on flat ground despite the oblique problem.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said the team was being cautious with Hodge’s ailing left oblique muscle by putting him on the IL, but won’t waste time with him on the shelf.
“Not a complete shutdown,” Counsell told reporters before Wednesday’s game against the host Miami Marlins. “We’re going to keep his arm moving, just with a lower intensity, and hopefully by the weekend we can ramp this back up. I think his date to come off would be a week from Tuesday, so we’ll just go from there. (The left oblique) is getting better.”
So, Hottovy is going to be working closely with Hodge during the next couple weeks to hopefully get the righty back on track with his mechanics. It doesn't sound like the oblique is a serious issue, which again is a sigh of relief, considering the initial uneasiness felt when the news surfaced from Miami.
Hodge 24, was called up from Triple-A in May of last year and quickly earned the trust of his manager. The righty ended his first season in the majors with a 1.88 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, while striking out 52 batters in 43 innings. Hodge recorded nine saves and was also credited with nine holds out of the bullpen.
So far in 2025, Hodge's numbers have looked ugly with a 5.12 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 19.1 innings. His strikeout rate has dropped from 31.7% to 22.6%, while the walk rate has seen a slight increase from 11.6% to 13.1%.
That being said, the hip issue could be the major contributor to Hodge's recent struggles. Hodge did start the season with a 12K/3BB ratio in his first nine appearances and only allowed two runs in nine innings.
Until Hodge returns the Cubs will have to figure out how to handle high-leverage situations. During Wednesday's series finale against the Marlins, Counsell went to Brad Keller to get out of a mini-jam in the seventh and returned to pitch the eighth. Then, Counsell gave Palencia a vote of confidence, sending out the young pitcher for the save chance after he took the loss on Monday night.
Palencia gave up some hard contact, but he retired the side in order for the save and clinched the series win for the Cubs. We'll probably see a similar pattern in the next two weeks and then Hodge should return in a setup/closer role.
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