Cubs Pitching Depth Suffers as Young Reliever Goes Back on IL

Hodge and many on the Cubs' pitching staff have had a tough go with injuries. The young reliever had a 2.00 ERA across nine innings through his first nine appearances.

His first injury came in May, and at that point, his ERA had risen to 5.12, but he had allowed just two earned runs all season outside of two rough appearances.

The 24-year-old was put on the injured list with a left oblique injury. In the recovery, he had a setback that revealed a left hip impingement. 

Over a month later, Hodge returned to the mound on June 25, but only pitched twice between then and July 4.

This past weekend, Hodge finally got some regular action, pitching in three of the last five days. However, on Tuesday night, the Cubs' reliever could only manage one out while giving up six runs on three home runs.

A day later, the Cubs have placed him on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder issue. To replace Hodge, the Cubs recalled Ethan Roberts.

"I don't think it's anything major, but we're dealing with a little shoulder stuff," Counsell told Spiegel & Holmes on The 670 Score. "We got to get it out of there and have him clear-headed."

Roberts will join the Cubs at the major league level as Hodge recovers from injury. The 28-year-old reliever has pitched in nine games this season for Chicago to the tune of a 5.40 ERA. He also saw action in 21 games in 2024, putting together a 3.71 ERA.

As for Hodge, hopefully, the young pitcher can fully recover from his injury. With his strong start to the season, he competed for a role in the back-end of the Cubs' bullpen before his injuries. Chicago could use that version of Hodge down the stretch of the season.