Struggling Cubs bullpen finds hope. Rookie Riley Martin dominates from the mound, showcasing a wicked slider and zero walks, hinting at a lasting impact.
The Chicago Cubs' bullpen has been inconsistent in the early going.
The bullpen has blown some games, and five different relievers have an ERA above 3.35 through the first 14 games. Caleb Thielbar (3.38), Ben Brown (3.55), Jacob Webb (4.76), Hunter Harvey (6.75), and Phil Maton (13.50) have all had some struggles at some point.
However, not all has been bad for this bullpen to start the season. Cubs’ No. 27 prospect Riley Martin has made a quick impression after being called up just nine days ago.
The Cubs decided to call up Martin back on April 5 when Cade Horton landed on the 15-day injured list. He allowed just one run across three innings pitched at Triple-A to begin the season and gave the team another left-handed arm out of the bullpen.
While many thought that Martin was only going to be up for a few days, the 28-year-old reliever might be here to stay for the foreseeable future.
He has been dominant on the mound in his three appearances. The southpaw threw one scoreless inning in his Major League debut on April 6 and tossed 2 ⅓ scoreless innings combined on April 10 and April 12 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It might be a small sample size, but Martin has thrown the ball well in his 3 ⅓ innings of work. Opposing hitters have an expected .125 batting average against the left-hander, and the rookie has yet to allow a barrel to begin his career.
Martin has worked hard to get to the Majors. He was a sixth-round selection by the Cubs in the 2021 MLB Draft and struggled a bit in his first few years in the Minors. The Illinois native had a combined 4.08 ERA across his first four Minor League seasons (2021-2024).
Martin then fully broke out with the Iowa Cubs in 2025. His walk rate slightly improved, his whiff rate and strikeout rate remained around 30% for most of the year, and he had a 3.5% barrel rate. Those metrics helped the left-hander finish with a personal-best 2.69 ERA across 63 ⅔ innings pitched.
Now, the reliever is making a name for himself in the big leagues. He has allowed only two hits across 3 ⅓ innings, and his slider has been a major weapon against left-handed batters. That pitch has a 50% whiff rate to go with a 50% putaway rate.
Martin has the stuff to be a consistent reliever for this Cubs team throughout the 2026 season. He finished with a 30.7% strikeout rate in 2025, had a 33.3% strikeout rate in 2024, and struck out 120 batters in just his second Minor League season in 2022.
The key for Martin moving forward will be limiting walks. When he is at his best, he attacks hitters and doesn't give free passes. That has been on display early in his MLB career, as the southpaw has not walked one batter yet in his 3 ⅓ innings of work.
That’s an encouraging sign, considering Martin had walk rates of 21.4% in 2023, 16.1% in 2024, and 13.4% in 2025. If he can continue to limit those walks, he has the makings to be a really good reliever.