Cubs bullpen revolving door continues after roster move brings back overlooked lefty

The Chicago Cubs are adding a reinforcement to the bullpen ahead of their game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday night. Tommy Birch reports that the Cubs are recalling left-handed relief pitcher Luke Little from Triple-A Iowa. The corresponding move has yet to be revealed, but chances are Charlie Barnes will have a trip back to Iowa.

Barnes was recalled by the Cubs last weekend and managed to save the bullpen on Monday night. The 30-year-old lefty pitched the final three innings of Monday's loss, giving up three runs on four hits and three walks. Looking beyond the results, the fact that Barnes was able to eat multiple innings was likely all that Craig Counsell was looking for.

The past week has taken a wrecking ball to the pitching depth the Cubs assembled throughout the offseason. Cade Horton, Matthew Boyd, Hunter Harvey, and Phil Maton all landed on the IL with various injuries. Boyd is starting a minor-league rehab assignment with the Iowa Cubs soon and should be back in the major league rotation shortly after that.

Luke Little has another chance to stick in the Cubs' bullpen.

As the Cubs have been in search of left-handed relief pitchers in recent years, the thought of Luke Little has always been appealing. He posted a 3.46 ERA in 30 appearances out of the Cubs' bullpen in 2024, but there was a regression in his command last season. In less than three innings of work in 2025, he walked 6 of the 15 batters he faced.

In a tick under 8 innings pitched with the Iowa Cubs to start this season, Little has issued 10 walks. As long as his command remains an issue, Little is going to be viewed as an up-and-down arm for the Cubs' organization. No, he won't replace Maton or Harvey as one of the high-leverage options in the bullpen, but with the Cubs using Riley Martin as an opener on Tuesday, Little is a needed extra lefty to have available in the bullpen. The Cubs are also adding Ryan Rolison to the bullpen ahead of Tuesday's game.

The hope is that the Cubs' pitching staff can tread water while Boyd, Maton, and Harvey get healthy. Justin Steele is expected back by the start of June, as well. Depending on guys like Little, this early in the season certainly wasn't the plan for the Cubs, but it's what they have to do to account for innings that were previously mapped out for the team's injured pitchers.

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