Porter Hodge’s Comeback Just Suffered a Major Blow
This was a brutal update as right-handed reliever Porter Hodge has already been ruled out for the start of the 2026 regular season. The Chicago Cubs announced on Sunday that Hodge will start the year on the injured list as the 25-year-old pitcher is dealing with a right flexor strain.
Hodge made his MLB debut with the Cubs back in 2024. He came up from Triple-A and instantly became a trusted reliever out of the bullpen. By the end of his rookie year Hodge was the closer for Craig Counsell. In 39 appearances Hodge recorded a 1.88 ERA and 0.88 WHIP with 52 strikeouts in 43 innings of work. He only gave up two home runs and was supposed to be a mainstay in the Cubs’ bullpen last year.
Unfortunately, things have been brutal for Hodge since 2025. He was moved to the set-up man role behind Ryan Pressly and was then briefly back in the closer role, but then Hodge lost the trust of Counsell. A trip to the injured list and some time in Triple-A set him back, but Hodge did return in late August. He looked good for a while, but the Cubs once again sent Hodge back down to the minors in September and now Hodge is completely out of the bullpen mix to start the 2026 season.
Last year Hodge only tossed 33 innings with the Cubs as he missed time on the injured list twice and was also demoted to Triple-A a couple times. The right-handed reliever posted a 6.27 ERA in 38 appearances. Hodge’s strikeout rate decreased by 4.5%, while his walk rate slightly increased from 11.6% to 12.2%.
The biggest difference was the quality of contact against him as opponents nearly tripled their barrel rate against Hodge in 2025 compared to his rookie season. He just couldn’t generate the same amount of whiffs and once batters were in good counts they crushed Hodge. After only giving up two home runs in 43 innings in 2024, Hodge served up nine home runs in 33 innings in 2025.
Hodge has made three spring training appearances this year for the Cubs and it probably should have been a red flag that he had not pitched since Feb. 27. While these results don’t mean much you could just tell Hodge wasn’t in a good place. In two innings of work he waked seven batters and allowed four hits, while striking out five.
The only solace in the poor performance this spring is that Hodge has been going out there with a bum arm.
The Cubs said Hodge will be re-evaluated in a couple of weeks.