Cubs top prospect Jaxon Wiggins hits the IL and the alarm bells are screaming

In what's become a regular occurence here to open the 2026 season, we have another Chicago Cubs injury update. And it's a doozy (but not the worst-case scenario, at least not yet).

Jaxon Wiggins, the organization's #1 overall prospect after Moises Ballesteros graduated from the list this week, was placed on the IL at Triple-A Iowa Wednesday with what's being called 'right elbow inflammation,' according to reports.

Excuse me for not blindly trusting that all will be well here, regardless of Craig Counsell and Jed Hoyer's reassurances. Less than two weeks ago, Porter Hodge was just working through a flexor strain and, now, he's done for the year - and likely part of next season, as well.

“Let’s make sure these guys can get healthy,” Hoyer told MLB.com. “Because if they’re playing catch-up in April, it’s going to get bad in May, June. There’s no way to push through things in April and get right. So, sometimes, early in the year, you have to realize that and play the long game ... “With Wiggins, obviously he hasn’t gotten back to a place of doing his throwing program. Once he’s asymptomatic, we’ll do that. But we’re not going to push him in the meantime.”

Despite limited workload, Jaxon Wiggins is hurt - and fans are worried

Wiggins, the team's second-round pick out of Arkansas in the 2023 MLB Draft, made just two starts this season before being shut down, a troubling development for a pitcher who was shelved for lengthy stretches last year in an effort to control his workload. Last year, a breakout showing for the right-hander, saw him post a 2.88 ERA in a career-high 78 innings of work.

Elbow problems for a guy who has never sniffed 100 innings in either his college or professional career (and has already had one Tommy John surgery) sets off all kinds of warning bells. Again, maybe he bounces back and settles into a groove that sets him up to make an impact later this year, but you certainly can't bank on that happening if you're the Cubs.

With Cade Horton done for the year, there's already a chasm at the top of the starting rotation. As the Cubs await Justin Steele's return after more than a year without him, they're working through what appears to be a short-term loss of Matthew Boyd. The IL seems to grow longer with each passing series - and, now, we can add another potential solution to those problems to that list.

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