Porter Hodge’s brutal rehab outing raises questions about his readiness

While the focus was on Shota Imanaga making his rehab appearance with the Iowa Cubs on Friday night, the hope was that Friday would also serve as one of the final appearances for Porter Hodge as he works his way back from a hip impingement that forced him to go on the IL at the end of May.

It would seem that the Cubs will want to give Hodge at least one more appearance before making a decision on bringing him back to the Major League level. Hodge struggled mightily on Friday night.

Porter Hodge struggles through rehab appearance with shaky command

The hope is that it was just a mechanical flow with Hodge's delivery on Friday night, and his struggles were not an indication of an injury setback. It would seem likely that the Cubs will provide an update on Hodge's timeline before they play the Seattle Mariners on Saturday afternoon at Wrigley Field.

Hodge's return will lead to there being an odd man out for the bullpen once he returns. Assuming it is within the next week, chances are Génesis Cabrera will be the man left without a spot in the Major League bullpen. Cabrera is the third left-hander in the Cubs' bullpen, and his struggles on Friday against the Mariners have made the decision easier. Cabrera gave up 3 runs on 4 hits in an inning of work on Friday. His ERA with the Cubs now sits at 8.68 through 9 appearances with the team.

With Hodge, once returns, there will be a debate over his role in the bullpen. When Hodge went on the IL, he was the perceived closer in the Cubs' bullpen. In Hodge's absence, Daniel Palencia has thrived while filling in as the team's closer. Palencia enters Saturday with an ERA of 1.67 ERA. The expectation should be that Palencia will remain as the team's closer, while Hodge slides back into a high-leverage role. Craig Counsell has proven to ride the hot hand while stabilizing the team's bullpen, and for now, that should mean that Palencia remains the team's closer.

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