Porter Hodge to undergo season-ending elbow surgery as Cubs absorb another blow

With Cade Horton done for the year and Justin Steele, Matthew Boyd, Jordan Wicks, Hunter Harvey, Phil Maton and Ethan Roberts all on the injured list, the Chicago Cubs' pitching depth has immediately been put to the test - and another potential option just got worst-case scenario news.

Right-hander Porter Hodge, who just two years ago looked like the team's potential closer of the future, is headed for UCL surgery - ending his 2026 season before it even began. Less than two weeks ago, he'd resumed throwing as he recovered from what was initially called a flexor strain, but was still 'weeks away' from game action. Instead, it'll be next year before we see him on the mound again.

As a rookie in 2024, Hodge was dominant, pitching to a 1.88 ERA across 39 appearances, punching out 52 in just 43 innings of work. Last year was a different story, as he struggled to a 6.27 ERA, with his WHIP nearly doubling year over year, but the hope was he'd be a contributor at some point this year for manager Craig Counsell.

Injuries have decimated the Cubs' pitching early on this season

The Cubs' bullpen - and the staff as a whole - has been rocked by early-season injuries. The loss of Horton pulled Colin Rea into the rotation, the same as the Steele injury last April did. Boyd's IL stint took another swingman out of the bullpen equation in Javier Assad and some of the team's biggest acquisitions in Maton and Harvey are also on the shelf, leaving the team in an unenviable position.

As a whole, Chicago ranks 14th in the league in team ERA entering Wednesday's finale in Philadelphia (3.99) - and there's barely any discrepancy between Cubs starters (3.95) and relievers (4.04). But it very much feels like things are being held together by rubber bands and chewing gum right now, and getting some of these guys healthy will be critical in the coming weeks.

With Hodge out all of 2026 and likely part of 2027, it's back to the drawing board for other internal options - and the Cubs aren't leaving any option untouched, with a shuttle between Des Moines and Chicago seeming to run on a near-daily basis this month as new arms are brought into the mix.

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