3 Cubs players it's way too soon to freak out about amidst early season struggles

Veteran reliever Hector Neris has a proven track record of success

Boy, if Hector Neris struggles like he has in April for the entire season, that's one signing that will be talked about for years - and not in a good way. To put it mildly, the longtime Astros and Phillies bullpen staple hasn't been the stabilizing veteran presence Jed Hoyer hoped for when he signed the 34-year-old to a one-year, $9 million pact this offseason.

His biggest blow-up, of course, came via a blown save against the Rockies during the opening homestand. After the Cubs opened up a huge lead early, the bullpen imploded, allowing Colorado to tie the game before Chicago eventually put them away for good in a 9-8 win at Wrigley. Neris, for his part, allowed two earned on three hits that night in just two-thirds of an inning.

With the bullpen, as a whole, struggling - and shorthanded with Julian Merryweather out for the next couple of months, Craig Counsell needs Neris to step up and anchor that relief corps. He hasn't done it yet, but we're talking about a guy with a 3.17 ERA in more than 300 appearances dating back to 2019. We're not panicking over a pair of early-season outings gone wrong.