Right-hander Porter Hodge and left-hander Jordan Wicks are each dealing with arm problems and will probably start the season on the 15-day injured list, Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian). Hodge has a right flexor strain, while Wicks is dealing with radial nerve irritation in his left forearm.
Hodge hasn’t pitched since February 27, and he hasn’t looked right in any of his three Cactus League outings this spring, with a whopping 31.50 ERA to show for two innings of work. Counsell said Hodge’s flexor strain doesn’t appear to be serious in terms of a long-term absence, though the righty will be shut down for the next two weeks to heal up.
Wicks’ forearm issue was initially described just as irritation, with an MRI revealing no structural problems. Nerve problems can tend to linger, though the good news is that Wicks has been able to play catch, and Counsell is hopeful the southpaw will start throwing off a mound by the middle of March.
It was no guarantee that either pitcher was going to make the Cubs’ Opening Day roster, though today’s news means that both the rotation and bullpen depth charts have taken a hit. Wicks (the 21st overall pick of the 2021 draft) worked just as a reliever during his eight MLB appearances in 2025, though he has pitched mostly as a starter throughout the rest of his time in the majors and minors.
Despite his draft pedigree and some top-100 prospect attention during his time in the minors, Wicks has yet to establish himself as a big leaguer, with a modest 5.21 ERA, 18.5% strikeout rate, and 7.5% walk rate to show for 95 career innings with the Cubs. Past injuries haven’t helped (Wicks missed a big chunk of 2024 due to a forearm strain and an oblique strain), and Wicks spent 2025 being shuttled back and forth between Chicago and Triple-A Iowa with only sporadic usage in the majors.
Hodge burst onto the scene with a 1.88 ERA and 31.7% strikeout rate over 43 innings in his 2024 rookie season, albeit with the benefit of a .189 BABIP. Things didn’t go nearly as smoothly last year, as Hodge spent close to two months on the IL due to oblique and shoulder problems, and he posted only a 6.27 ERA over 33 innings of work. As per the SIERA metric, Hodge’s two big league seasons haven’t been too dissimilar (3.22 in 2024, 3.80 in 2025), and he remains an intriguing bullpen arm if he can stay healthy and figure out some control problems.
Sucks about Jordan Wicks he deserved more time in the majors last year and this already isn’t a good start for this season.
It became apparent in 2024 that whenever Wicks tries to throw hard enough to succeed in the majors, hr hurts his arm. Sometimes it’s that simple. Too bad for him and for us: he was a bad first-round pick.
Wicks seems to be a rare first round miss by the Cubs (when it comes to college players).
I didn’t quite understand the pick when the Cubs made it because Wicks had a below average fastball and this is a league where you have to have a good fastball. It doesn’t have to have elite velocity but it needs to have good movement and good location.
2021 was a weird time for the Cubs front office, I feel like it was Hoyers “I’m smarter than everyone else” phase where they liked non-traditional pitchers who had bad fastballs but good secondary stuff. I’m glad Hawkin came in and convinced Hoyer it was stupid.
Have you ever heard Hawkins talk? I don’t think that’s how it happened at all. What happens is the Cubs Scouting directors get tired of Hoyer trading all their good players for rentals and they leave. Hopefully Kantrovitz stays this time.
Ballesteros is very good at pulling in his hands and hitting an inside-corner pitch hard through the right side. Different kind of player, obviously, but Bill Buckner was good at that. I think Ballesteros is going to get a lot of RBI’s this season, am excited about him.
Cubs bullpen is solid without Hodge but Id say Hicks is a dent in the LH depth to some extent.
Going to be jammed up when Steele returns.
Cut Rea? Option Assad? Option Horton? What if Taillon is the worst of the lot? Would the Cubs cut Taillon if he had an slow start to the season?
In some way it is an interesting situation because the Cubs aren’t likely to make a trade before their players show out in ’26. I could see them trading for a LHRP with options.
I think Reid Detmers makes sense for the Cubs.
Assad, Wicks and Hodge for Detmers could be good.
Did you really just say option Horton?? Smh
The only way Horton gets optioned is if they want to limit his innings without a phantom IL trip.
They are not going to cut Rea as long as he maintains a sub-5 ERA which is very likely. Rea is an asset as a 5th starter or in the bullpen.
Assad will probably bounce back and forth between majors and minors and he is an asset with that type of usage.
Boyd, Horton, Steele, Shota, Taillon. Rea definitely could leapfrog Taillon based on ST. Wiggins could be a factor by July.
Wicks is just organizational depth.
And Eddy Cabrera is frying eggs at the Golden Nugget?
Thanks for the catch. Cabrera is definitely after Boyd and Horton in my prognostication, but ahead of Taillon and maybe even Shota. Cabrera has mediocre stats outside of Miami last season so I have low expectations for him, but he unquestionably is top five of the rotation, my mistake.
IL Shuffle.
Rea is SP7, but should be on the rotation most of the season.
Hunter Harvey was listed as starter for today, but didn’t pitch. I wonder if he was scratched because of a possible injury. It worries me, because all the other offseason FA relievers are soft tossers.
All 3 of them for Detmers!? Man, I actually don’t hate your idea to acquire Detmers, but that’s too much for him.
Would they DFA Shota ?
Assad and Rea are both better as #5 starters
No shot, he’s making too much money for that. Unless he has like a 6+ ERA in a decent sample size
In ST, Shota has 5Ks and zero walks. That is the best I can spin it, because in 8.1 innings he has given up 12 hits and four homers, which means the best he can spin it in this micro sample size is not enough.
Shota is better than both of them. The man had an 0.99 Whip last year and gets no respect. I know he went through a rough patch with the homers but there’s no way he’s worse than those two.
I agree with you that Shota is the better pitcher, my point is just that his ST shows a continuation of giving up the long ball. I am hoping he will get his form back.
There’s lot of ridiculous here in this thread.
I wouldn’t trade any one of those 3 guys for Reid Detmers. Are you joking? LOL
Hodge and Wicks are far too young to give up on, It’s that simple.
Assad is basically the Ace of Mexico’s team which is very good.
Cut Imanaga or Tallion? Just walk away from 40 million bucks? ROTFLMAO
Rea has been nothing short of outstanding since he’s been here. Move him?
I need everybody in this thread to be drug tested. STAT!
I wouldn’t read much into Harvey sitting. Flu, Slept funny could be anything.
Assad and Steele should be next men up for injury.
Then you are on board with optioning Horton and/or Assad if and when Steele returns strong?
You cant roster everybody. Unlikely that they’d cut any of their top5 in the bullpen.
It seemingly becomes a situation where they stretch Steele’s rehab and play the IR game in June / July. Somebody, at the very least, has to have sore hamstring by then. Rotate Boyd, Cabrera, and whomever else needs some rest using the IR? That is likely the plan the more I think about it and its a good plan.
Detmers is a good fit as a third lefty in the bullpen but not all that much better than Assad but he has pitched well and is a good pitcher, thats a tough trade for the Angels.
Would the Cubs have a spot for a RHH in RF who popped 37HRs last season and if they do, who would they send back to Anaheim?
Steele is out until late May no matter what you do. He is on the 60 day. And there’s no guarantee that he even makes it back. Rea is #6, Assad is 7. Assad is going to start out in AAA unless there are injuries that haven’t happened yet. They already said that. Somebody will get hurt. It’s inevitable but they’re well covered. Detmers is a pile of dog ___. Luke Little is 10 times better and a phone call away. Steele stays in Iowa until he’s needed. He’s not gonna reject and lose his arb salary. That’s pretty simple math.
I disagree on Detmers and Luke Little, Luke Little cant throw strikes. Detmers is back in the rotation after a strong year in the bullpen and has a pair of good breaking balls. He has some of the best chase in MLB, his command is improving, he is getting over the pressure and settling in, he is going to be the Angels best SP this season.
And the Cubs already have a guy in RF who can hit 37 HR’s. So why would they need one?
It a good duo between Ballesteros and Shaw at DH, I like both players but both are young and it isnt easy to hit without everyday run in the field.
If one or both fail to hit, or if Happ or Suzuki or heaven forbid PCA pulls up lame for an extended period of time, would Joe Adell fit in?
Would the Cubs trade Assad, Long and Kipp for two seasons of Adell? If Im the Angels, Id consider that trade but I have liked Long and Kipp for a while now and Assad has grown on me.
If all ya got is Detmers and Adell who could be the poster children for failure then there is no phone call needed I’m afraid. Carlson and Conforto are better than that. Angel fans have have been trying to trade Adell for years now. I think you need to take a hint. Walk away.
I dont like hints or secrets.
Id say Adell and Detmers are both a good fit for the Cubs. If you could land both without trading Shaw, Wiggins or Ballesteros, wouldnt it be a reasonable trade?
Of course, if you include Detmers in the trade, it would be for more than Assad, Long and Kipp but I think this trade can work out well, and really benefit the Cubs, especially if you swap Assad for Colin Rea.
Rea, Brown, Long, Kipp and Kane Kepley for Detmers and Adell.
Id make that trade if I were Perry Minasian in Anaheim and Id make that trade if I were Jed Hoyer in Chicago. I think the Cubs get the best of it with Detmers in the bullpen as a third lefty and as LH long relief, Assad as RH long relief. Both have options and both are under team control for the next three seasons (including ’26). Two seasons of Adell.
Angels get Brown and Kipp to work with, and two young outfielders in Kepley and Long. Cubs give up a lot in Brown and Long but are either really going to be a big part of the team in ’26 or ’27?
I think its a good trade.
Complete and total pass. The only Cub prospect in that mix I would move would be Kipp. Of course Hoyer is a moron. But even he has better taste than the Angels players. Kepley might end up Happ’s replacement. Long is a potential Utility guy and DH. Brown may be a starter or a Closer yet. Cubs are losing 3 starters after this year. Not trading anything because we don’t have to. And we really don’t need anything. The stage is set for this year and the die is cast. You need to sell that stuff at the Flea Market. And it’s probably too late for that too. Sorry.
Id say its a long season, ’26 is as good of an opportunity to win a WS as the Cubs have had in a long time. Its a stack on top of what they have in place.
The trade deadline is months away, Cubs dont need a trade, as you have stated, but they arent without vulnerabilities and I think Detmers and Adell would be an extra coat of sealant on the hull.
That’s all I got today for the Cubs. You can’t spend too much damn time with the Cubs fans, they are intoxicating like natural gas.
Thank God. Because I think you were trying to convince yourself you had a point because as far as I see it- Steeerike 1. And No ABS needed. LOL
@ABS: The Cubs do indeed have a lot of “vulnerabilities,” but trading for bad players isn’t the way to address them.
37 HRs is a nice season. 98 RBI on the Angels.
Detmers posted 11.3 K/9, that is a good number.
If you admit that they have vulnerabilities, how do you propose they shore up the ship? There are better options than Adell and Detmers?
I would deal for Adell. Brown is not untouchable and if you can get Adell back you do it 10 out of 10 times.
Jed is losing 2 corner OF next year and is tossing Shaw against the wall to see if he sticks in the OF.
Right now he is in a winning window and deals like that extends it.
Drug testing please. stat.
I would even consider Amaya in that deal. Baller has impressed the staff in his games with his game calling and ability to win his challenges.
It may be time to give him run way and then give Kelly the dish against running teams while Baller DH’s.
Adell is on the right side of 30 and that matters when your core is also on that side.