The Cubs have placed right-hander Jorge López on the 15-day injured list due to a right groin strain, with fellow righty Trey Wingenter recalled as the corresponding move. Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune was among those to relay the news on X.
López, 31, was added to the Cubs’ roster at the end of June and he quickly took on a prominent role in the club’s bullpen. In just over two months as a Cub, he made 22 appearances, logging 24 2/3 innings. He allowed 2.19 earned runs per nine, struck out 28% of batters faced, limited walks to an 8% clip and got grounders on 60.3% of balls in play. He recorded a pair of saves and three holds.
Now he’ll be removed from the club’s high-leverage relief mix, which is an unfortunate blow to a bullpen that has been fairly unstable this year. Adbert Alzolay took over the closer’s job last year but he spent a lot of 2024 on the injured list and eventually required Tommy John surgery in August. Héctor Neris grabbed the closer’s role for most of this season but was shaky enough to get released in August and has since signed with the Astros. Mark Leiter Jr. was one of Chicago’s key setup men but he was traded to the Yankees prior to the deadline. Other key pieces like Yency Almonte and Julian Merryweather are on the injured list at the moment.
All of those issues opened the door for López to step up but now he, too, will be unavailable. It’s unclear exactly when he sustained this injury but perhaps it explains his poor results the last time out. Though his numbers as a Cub have been great overall, they were even better before Monday, when he faced the Pirates and allowed four earned runs on four hits, including two home runs.
The Cubs are 4.5 games out of a playoff spot and still in the race, but will now have to proceed without López. That will likely leave some combination of Porter Hodge, Drew Smyly and Tyson Miller taking the important bullpen roles. The club’s pitching staff also took another hit today, with Justin Steele also heading to the injured list.
such a shame, I was hoping he’d pitch tonight and give up 2 more homers in his one inning of work
He’s been almost unhittable since the Cubs got him, for nothing btw. Nobody’s perfect
He was pitching lights out here. Not sure what made him snap in NY but he’ll be tough to replace. Luckily the Cubs have a few arms they can look at the rest of the way.
Cubbies are making the final wild card spot interesting at least. I’ll always have a soft spot for Hendriks, but I won’t miss him next season…
Not for lack of effort or trying if you ask the Green guy
I’ve checked the Box score but I don’t see it. When you strike out against Hendricks shouldn’t your dog get a K too? I assume you are using your bat as a cane but shouldn’t the dog get one too? For not barking when you’re supposed to swing?
Hopefully he doesn’t throw his glove at the fans because of this…
Yeah Fans complain when players won’t sign autographs. Maybe it was some kind of raffle by Lopez. Fan gets free glove. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
Him and Steele. Cubs getting hit late.
Wingenter. Any relation to Henry Rowengartner? He was the rookie of the year.
A distant cousin
Just a hodge podge of promises and prospects it would seem
I thought over the weekend you guys had a good chance at WC. Now, with 2 more injuries to Pitching, I think you are done. Good last 2 months but just too many injuries to your staff! So, like they used to say on the Gong show: Better luck next time!
Who in the blue hell is Trey Wingenter? Who is being called up for Steele going on the IL?
Jack Neely being recalled for Steele. Wingenter for Lopez.
Thanks Mike. Hopefully Neely stays up this time.
Yeah meanwhile we get to watch Hendricks pitch against the Dodgers while Killian had a 1.88 ERA at Iowa in August and Birdsell is getting it done also. But we get to watch Mastrobuoni, Wisdom and Hendricks look like the slugs that they are. Insanity is Jed doing the same thing over and over again and expecting better results. Wingenter was one of Jed’s waiver pick ups this summer.
Uncle, question:
Is ‘insanity’ also complaining about the same old thing – over, and over, and over, and . . . .
Comon, get some new material.
I’d love to. But Hoyer keeps feeding me the same recycled crap over and over and over and over and………………..
I don’t get why Mastrobuoni and Wisdom are on this team.
I’m convinced Miles has some major dirt on Jed.
I’m going to the game next Saturday in Denver, so if all goes well. I’ll get to see Imanaga pitch.
Because if it isn’t Mastro and Wisdom it would be guys like Ildemaro Vargas, Eric Sogard, or Jared Young or guys like that that the Cubs have had in the past.
Definitely not advocating for Mastro or Wisdom (or Madrigal) but the 21st to 24th guys are the roster are always going to be the same type player(s) just with different names. Where are you Michael Hermasillo when we need ya??
Lmao
Also Alfonso Rivas, Augie Oujeda(he was actually likeable though) Roosevelt Brown Jr. (Who was a starter on a bad team) he will always be known for that catch he made in CF. Ball popped out of his glove. Had the wherewithal to each back with his bare hand and complete the catch
There was also Trey Mancini, Eric Hosmer, Brant Brown, Matt Mervis. And many others over the years.
Every once in a while that 22nd man will be a Tommy LaStella who rolls out of bed at 3AM and hits a fast ball. Then—eventually, does something stupid and fades away and gets replaced by a lowly paid guy like Ildemaro Vargas who turns into Miles Mastrobuoni who will turn into….(tbd in seven months).
Jammer- Rumor had it when the Cubs got Neely he wanted to be a starter. Too late this season but he has an interesting array of pitches and next spring maybe they stretch him out and he gets an opportunity at Iowa to start. I like what I’ve seen from him despite the struggles lately. Got him from the Yankees and he’s interesting the same way Wesneski was.
If they didn’t acquire him on July 30th. Or called him up right away after stretching him out it may have worked. That would be interesting. Nice replacement for Hendricks for next year.
This whole Lopez injury fiasco is very indicative of what the Cubs have done all season.
Uncle you remember me questioning why he only pitched once between Aug 17 and Aug 31 and especially didn’t get up in that game Smyly came on in the 9th and the Cubs barely hung on.
Well, comes to be that Lopez hurt his groin shagging fly balls on the road trip and wasn’t fully available—so they sat there for a week with a dead spot on the roster and where I don’t think the injury led to the loss directly in the Pirate opener—pretty odd that he goes on the IL right after.
Not the first time this year:
Leiter Jr—after getting lit up by the Cards in back to back games (I believe seven straight hits by lefties) we learn that he had been pushing through something for the previous two weeks.
Ben Brown—“been bothered by the neck in his previous two starts”—yet pitched more—went on the IL and it’s September and he still isn’t throwing again
Nico—let’s sit eight games before making a decision to IL or not—dead roster spot
possibly the most damaging of all—Dansby Swanson—played on a bad knee for at least two weeks—affected his defense –and completely sapped him of any offensive power….after all that then he goes on the IL and misses more two weeks that could have addressed the issue prior.
I’m all for the bravado play through minor bumps and bruises but if a guy is hurt, it has only seemed to do additional damage trying to do that, it’s been very counterproductive.
There has been a pile of this stuff this year and they seem to have done more harm than good.
So you’re asking me if I think Hoyer is a trash GM? I think I’ve been making my case for quite awhile now. Whether you believe it’s Hoyer, Hawkins or whoever it’s a bad situation. Whoever is running this team sucks at it.
“… but now he, too, will be unavailable”
There should be NO commas in this clause. Sheesh.