The Cubs bullpen may be getting one of their key offseason signings back from injury. According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, right-hander Phil Maton is currently with the team in Los Angeles for their series against the Dodgers. He could be activated tomorrow or Monday, per manager Craig Counsell.
Maton was one of several additions that the team made to the bullpen. Between Maton, Hunter Harvey, Caleb Thielbar, Hoby Milner, and Jacob Webb, Maton received the biggest contract at two years and $14.5MM. He was coming off a very strong 2025 season split between the Cardinals and Rangers. In 61 1/3 innings between the two clubs, Maton had a 2.79 ERA and solid peripherals, including a 23.4% K-BB rate. The latter figure was nearly double the league average, while his 1.5 fWAR put him among the top 15% of qualified relievers. He also excelled at managing contact, allowing just three home runs all season and inducing groundballs at an above-average 44.4% rate.
Chicago has not been able to benefit from Maton’s services thus far. He appeared in five games and allowed six earned runs in four innings through April 7. The club noticed that Maton’s velocity had declined with each game and suspected injury. Three days later, he landed on the 15-day injured list with right knee tendinitis. The right-hander was not expected to miss much time, and indeed, it looks like he’ll be able to rejoin the team without a minor league rehab assignment.
When he returns, Maton will upgrade a relief corps that is a weak spot on a team that is otherwise doing very well. Entering play today, the Cubs were tied for first in the NL Central with a 17-9 record. The offense has a 124 wRC+ that is second only to the Dodgers, while the starting rotation ranks seventh in the Majors with a 3.51 ERA. The bullpen has been tougher to evaluate. On the surface, their 3.40 combined ERA is a solid figure. However, the group’s 4.49 expected ERA suggests a bit of luck in that performance. Of course, all of this comes in a small sample size, so the team is probably keeping an eye on their bullpen rather than hitting the panic button this early in the season.
Looking ahead, the bullpen is going to see a bit of turnover in the next month or so. In addition to Maton, the team’s injured list currently includes Harvey, Thielbar, and Daniel Palencia. Thielbar just landed on the IL yesterday and may be the furthest off, although all three are expected back some time in May. That could spell demotions for Ryan Rolison and Corbin Martin. Journeyman Vince Velasquez was selected yesterday and could realistically lose his spot if he’s still on the roster at that point.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images
