LOS ANGELES — The injuries keep coming in the Chicago Cubs bullpen.
Veteran lefty Caleb Thielbar is the latest Cubs reliever to land on the injured list, going on the 15-day IL with a left hamstring strain before Friday’s 6-4 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in the opener of a six-game trip. It was the Cubs’ 10th straight victory.
The Cubs called up right-hander Vince Velasquez from Triple-A Iowa and moved reliever Porter Hodge (Tommy John surgery) to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot for Velasquez. They also added infielder Nicky Lopez to the 40-man roster after acquiring him from the Colorado Rockies on Thursday and designated infielder Scott Kingery for assignment.
This marks the third time in the last five years Thielbar, 39, has gone on the IL because of this same injury to his left hamstring, which sidelined him for 16 days in 2022 and 18 days in 2024.
Manager Craig Counsell described this hamstring strain as mild, explaining Thielbar said this is a less-severe version of the ailment. The Cubs will know more about Thielbar’s timeline to return as they get through the week.
“We’re hoping we can be fairly close to the minimum (15 days) here,” Counsell said before the series opener at Dodger Stadium.
Thielbar is the fourth high-leverage reliever currently on the IL, joining Daniel Palencia (left lat strain), Phil Maton (right knee tendinitis) and Hunter Harvey (right triceps inflammation). Maton made a rehab appearance at Triple A on Friday night, tossing a scoreless inning while allowing two hits, no walks and striking out two on 25 pitches. Hunter has resumed throwing a baseball but still remains weeks away. Palencia has a big day Saturday when he will throw off a mound for the first time since being sidelined.
The Cubs are back to 10 pitchers from their 40-man roster on the IL.
“Nothing is really that long term, which has to be the positive in this, but injuries add up at some point, right?” Counsell said. “And we’ve lost a lot of bodies, and when you’ve lost that many bodies it gets hard to keep replacing them with the same quality, frankly, so the guys have done a great job. They’ve done a heck of a job. And, frankly, we’ve got some tired guys right now as well, but they’re doing a heck of a job.
“And so 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, and it’s why we’ve been able to put together this nice run. But there’s a limit to what can happen.”
For the third time in 13 months, Lopez has found his way back to the Cubs.
The Cubs acquired Lopez from the Rockies for cash considerations Thursday. The 31-year-old utility infielder had been at Triple A and triggered his upward-mobility clause a few days ago but went unclaimed. Lopez said it feels unbelievable to be back in the big leagues with the Cubs, savoring getting to wear the jersey of his grandfather’s favorite team.
“It always reminds me of him and my family too,” Lopez said. ” … It’s special. And, selfishly, I think I do my role really, really well. Just being able to be available every single day and also just bring energy and be a good clubhouse guy. So the fact that they kind of see that, hey, I guess I’m always that one call away kind of thing. Obviously, hopefully this one sticks and we can just kind of ride it out, but we’ll see where we’re at.”
Lopez, a Naperville native, takes over Kingery’s role on the bench, largely expected to come in as a pinch runner or defensive replacement. The Cubs wanted more reliable defense following Kingery’s two-error game at third base Tuesday against the Philadelphia Phillies. It’s a tough role given the limited at-bats and opportunities, but Lopez’s experience in the role makes the Cubs believe he can handle it.