Cubs add fresh arm after Porter Hodge's hot September comes to a close

All good things must come to an end. Porter Hodge had pitched remarkably well for a couple of weeks, posting a 1.23 ERA across eight appearances dating back to the start of September, but he's certainly looked shakier of late and, on Friday, he coughed up a pair of home runs for three earned in an inning of work on Friday.

On the whole, it's been a frustrating season for the former Chicago Cubs closer. He carries a -0.9 bWAR, 6.27 ERA and 1.576 WHIP across three dozen appearances and it's safe to say he'll have to go into camp next spring ready to earn a spot in Craig Counsell's bullpen.

After Friday's rough outing, in which he was saddled with the loss, the Cubs optioned Hodge to Triple-A Iowa, recalling left-hander and former first-round pick Jordan Wicks to replace him on the 28-man roster.

Cubs need more out of Jordan Wicks moving forward

Wicks has bounced between Iowa and Chicago a lot this summer but hasn't pitched with the big-league team since late August. The southpaw has rebounded from an injury-shortened, ineffective 2024 season, posting a 3.55 ERA in 16 starts and four relief appearances at Triple-A, but he has just six appearances on the year with the Cubs.

His season numbers are bloated by a disastrous mop-up outing in New York back in July against the Yankees, where he was torched for six earned on 10 hits in just three frames. There's work to be done and, like, Hodge, his role past this season is very much up in the air.

The Cubs are closing in on locking down the top seed in the NL Wild Card race, so Wicks could see some opportunities with Chicago skipping Cade Horton's next start and potentially looking to give Matthew Boyd some rest before October. It's a nice opportunity for him and let's hope he makes the most of it.