The Cubs are dealing with more injuries to their pitching staff. Veteran lefty Caleb Thielbar was placed on the 15-day injured list with a left hamstring strain prior to Friday’s game against the Dodgers.
The Cubs have selected righty Vince Velasquez from Triple-A Iowa. He will add depth to the relief corps with his ability to cover multiple innings.
Thielbar’s Hamstring Injury
Thielbar’s injury occurred in the ninth inning of Thursday’s 8-7, 10-inning win over the Phillies.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, “Right now, one day out, we think it’s on the mild side.” He added, “We’ll know more as we get through the week, but we’re hoping we can be fairly close to the minimum [amount of days] here.”
Counsell noted that Thielbar had similar injuries in 2022 and in ’24 with the Twins. Thielbar indicated to the Cubs that this ailment seems less severe. He has a 3.12 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings across 11 appearances this season, also picking up two saves.
Other Cubs Injuries and Recoveries
Thielbar joins a list of relievers on the 15-day IL. This list includes righties Phil Maton, Daniel Palencia, Hunter Harvey and Ethan Roberts. Porter Hodge, who has been out since Spring Training, recently underwent season-ending surgery on his right elbow and was moved to the 60-day IL on Friday.
There have been some positive developments regarding injured players. Maton pitched one scoreless inning in a Minor League rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Friday night. Palencia is scheduled to throw off a mound on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. Harvey has started playing catch, the first step in his throwing program, and Roberts was back on a mound earlier this week.
Bullpen Performance Despite Injuries
The Cubs’ bullpen has performed well despite the injuries. Entering Friday, the Cubs’ bullpen had a 3.54 ERA, ranking seventh in the National League and ninth in the Majors. The group’s 2.73 ERA dating back to April 8 was the fourth lowest in MLB in that span, entering Friday.
- Phil Maton logged one scoreless inning in a Minor League rehab outing with Triple-A Iowa on Friday night.
- Palencia is set to throw off a mound on Saturday at Dodger Stadium.
- Harvey has resumed playing catch.
- Roberts was back on a mound earlier this week.
Counsell said, “When you’ve lost that many bodies, it gets hard to keep replacing them with the same quality, frankly. We have not sacrificed any quality at this point, in my eyes. These guys have pitched great. They’ve done a heck of a job. It’s one of the reasons why we’ve been able to put together this nice run. But there’s a limit to what can happen.”
Lopez’s Return
The Cubs acquired veteran utility man Nicky Lopez from the Rockies for cash considerations on Thursday. He officially joined the big league squad on Friday in L.A. Chicago selected Lopez’s contract from Triple-A Iowa and cleared room on the active and 40-man rosters by designating infielder Scott Kingery for assignment.
The Cubs’ bullpen will be tasked with making up for the loss of one of its key arms.