Complete list of injured Cubs players and what to expect from them in 2027

Injuries defined the Chicago Cubs' 2026 season, and with the offseason inching closer with each passing World Series game, now's an ideal time to take a look at just who is still injured for the Chicago and what their status is for the 2027 season.

Now, anytime the 2027 season is mentioned, it has to be noted that there's a strong chance that the season does not start on time. Once December 2 hits, it's going to be exhausting to sift through the endless updates that will follow in the months after.

Here are the Cubs' injured players and where they stand heading into the offseason

Still, it's good to have a sense of the recovery process for the players involved. One note, we're not going to include Justin Steele. Even though he didn't make his major-league return in 2026, Steele finished the season healthy. Barring a setback during the offseason, Steele is going to have a regular throwing program this winter and return to the rotation whenever the season starts next year.

Injured Players not expected to return to the Cubs in 2027

• Tyler Austin
• Hunter Harvey
• Trent Thornton

Austin's contractual status may need some clarification. He signed a split-contract with the Cubs last offseason, and it's possible he's a free agent this offseason. Though, because of the service time he had previously, some sites are suggesting he's eligible for arbitration. For reference, we're using FanGraphs' RosterResource and they have him as a free agent.

Austin had knee surgery near the start of spring training, and Craig Counsell referred to his recovery as a matter of months. He never appeared to resume baseball activity, and it's hard to imagine the Cubs going back down this well for the 2027 season.

While Harvey did make some appearances for the Cubs in 2026, it was only four. A triceps injury kept him sidelined since the first week of April. He appeared to be ramping back up in August for a potential return, but he was shut down before starting a minor-league rehab assignment. It's simple, he won't be back.

Thornton had been a fixture in the Cubs' bullpen until the middle of September when he took a line drive off the ankle. He posted a 3.35 ERA across 48 appearances, but with a FIP of 5.21, he always appeared to be one outing away from being DFA'd. He's a free agent this winter, and should be healthy, but a reunion may not be top of mind for the Cubs.

Injured Players under contract with the Cubs in 2027

• Shelby Miller
• Ben Brown
• Phil Maton
• Cade Horton
• Porter Hodge
• Riley Martin

Miller was shut down before he could pitch for the Cubs this season, but similar to Steele, he finished the 2026 season. The reason for the Cubs shutting Miller down was to ensure he had a regular offseason, and can be ready for the start of the 2027 season after spending this year recovering from Tommy John surgery.

Similarly, Martin finished the season resuming his throwing program and the Cubs have confirmed he won't need surgery to repair the flexor strain that ended his rookie season prematurely. He should be fully healthy by the time baseball resumes in 2027.

Horton and Hodge should be lumped in the same category. We already did the math on Horton's return in 2027, and if it happens, it's probably going to be close to the end of the season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Hodge has reconstructive UCL surgery on April 20, and the timeline provided by the Cubs at the time was 12-14 months. Realistically, Hodge returning by the end of July would feel like an educated guess. Though, even before the injury, Hodge had seemingly fallen out of favor with the team's pitching plans.

Maton had surgery in September to repair a partially torn patellar tendon. Since the surgery was near the end of the season, the Cubs haven't provided an initial timeline for his recovery. An update would need to come before the lockout in December, otherwise, it would be a bit of a guessing game. The assumption is that Maton will be healthy once baseball returns next year.

Brown is a bit of a wild-card, considering he's dealing with the same injury that ended his 2024 season prematurely. The Cubs and Browns believed they were in a better place this time around to treat the stress reaction in his neck, and just when he was ramping things up for a potential late-season return, he was shut down. Outside of confirming Brown wouldn't pitch for the remainder of the 2026 season, Craig Counsell didn't provide an update beyond that. Brown being healthy and this neck issue behind would certainly be the best-case scenario, but for right now, the Cubs aren't there yet.

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