Cubs Injury Updates: Ian Happ, Porter Hodge, Miguel Amaya, Javier Assad

After falling two games back in the NL Central to the Milwaukee Brewers, it’s safe to say the return from the All-Star break hasn’t gone the way of the Chicago Cubs. Despite the skid, the latest update on the injury front features a healthy mix of good news and less than ideal updates.

Ian Happ will not require an IL stint

Ian Happ left the game after fouling a ball off of his shin in yesterday’s 9-3 loss to the Brewers, immediately causing concern for Cubs fans. Happ had to be helped off the field and later told reporters he felt lightheaded as he made his way to the dugout. Initial X-rays came back negative, with manager Craig Counsell optimistic Happ wouldn't miss a lot of time, but the Cubs recalled catcher Moises Ballesteros late Tuesday night anyway. As of Wednesday morning, insider Bruce Levine reported the Cubs have indeed dodged a bullet, as Happ will not require time on the injured list after all.

Miguel Amaya picks up a knock in a rehab start in Iowa

After being out since May 24 with an oblique strain, Cubs catcher Miguel Amaya made his latest step towards rejoining the big-league club, appearing in a rehab game for the Iowa Cubs. Amaya played five innings behind the plate, hitting a single to go 1-for-2 on the night. Amaya told reporters after the game that he felt “good to go” but didn’t know how many more rehab games he would need. As of now, the plan is to have Amaya DH in Iowa’s next game on Wednesday.

Porter Hodge faces yet another setback

Porter Hodge made his second rehab appearance for the Iowa Cubs, and let’s just say it wasn’t pretty. After striking out two batters on Saturday, Hodge struggled to find that same performance on Tuesday night, walking two and giving up four runs in a third of an inning. Hodge has struggled with injuries all season, battling an oblique strain earlier in the year.

A steady drop in his fastball velocity led the team to place him on the IL on July 9, with the aim of giving Hodge time to deal with a shoulder issue to see if his performance would improve. So far, however, that has not been the case, as the right-hander holds an 24.92 ERA in Iowa. The Cubs activated Hodge from the 15-day IL Wednesday morning, but Hodge will be sticking around in Iowa a bit longer to continue working through his struggles.

Javier Assad pitches on Wednesday in Iowa

As the Cubs may be pondering a trade for an arm ahead of the Trade Deadline, reinforcements from within may be on the way sooner rather than later, with Javier Assad continuing to progress. Assad has yet to appear for the Cubs in 2025 after sustaining an oblique injury during spring training, but is slated to pitch for the Iowa Cubs today after throwing three scoreless innings in the Arizona Complex League on Thursday. It is unclear how many starts the right-hander would require, but as it stands, Counsell hopes to have him starting games for the Cubs sooner rather than later.