Injuries pile up for the Cubs, derailing their season with key pitchers sidelined and prospects facing setbacks. Can they overcome the mounting roster challenges?
The Chicago Cubs have been one of the unluckiest teams to begin the 2026 season.
It started before the season even began when Seiya Suzuki injured his knee in the World Baseball Classic. Suzuki would then miss the start of the 2026 campaign and the first couple of weeks of the new season.
However, the injuries have not stopped there for the Cubs.
Cade Horton tore his UCL and will miss the rest of the season. Matthew Boyd is currently dealing with a left bicep strain. Key free agent pickups Phil Maton (knee) and Hunter Harvey (triceps) are both on the 15-day injured list, and Ethan Roberts just recently landed on the IL after a vent fell on him and cut open his right middle finger.
The Cubs have had to navigate all those different injuries to start the 2026 season. They are down two starting pitchers and multiple relievers early on. Justin Steele is also on the 60-day IL as he continues to ramp up toward a return.
Unfortunately, the North Siders have received more bad injury news.
Reliever Porter Hodge will undergo season-ending elbow surgery, and top prospect Jaxon Wiggins has been placed on the Minor League IL.
Hodge started the season on the 15-day IL due to a right flexor strain. However, a setback in his recovery has led the right-hander to undergo elbow surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL).
While the full extent of his surgery (Tommy John or internal brace procedure) won’t be known until after, Hodge will miss the rest of the 2026 season and likely part of the 2027 season. The 25-year-old is set to undergo surgery on Monday.
As for Wiggins, he was recently placed on the IL due to right elbow inflammation. MLB Pipeline’s No. 52 overall prospect was reportedly dealing with a “sore arm” that forced him to miss his last start on Friday.
Any time a pitcher deals with an elbow injury, that always raises some concern. But manager Craig Counsell appeared optimistic that his elbow inflammation is only a minor issue.
“We think it’s just a little time down, and he should be OK,” Counsell told reporters in Philadelphia.
The Cubs have no doubt caught the injury bug in the early going. They have two pitchers set to undergo season-ending elbow surgery and a handful of other pitchers nursing different injuries.
If there is any good news in all of this, it is that Boyd will return sometime next week. The southpaw went on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Thursday and threw 64 pitches across 3 ⅔ innings.