Chicago Cubs left-hander Riley Martin has taken a promising step in his recovery, with the team announcing Tuesday that he is scheduled to make a rehab outing with the Iowa Cubs at Triple-A later this week.
That’s a welcome turn after a much darker update about a month ago, when the Cubs were weighing the possibility that Martin might need surgery before the end of the 2026 season. Martin has been sidelined since late April with a left flexor strain, and while he still may be too far behind to get back to the majors this year, the latest news at least suggests he has avoided an operation on his pitching arm.
That matters. Surgery would have made the offseason far more complicated, especially with a lockout looming that would cut Martin off from the Cubs’ training staff. Now, the focus shifts to getting him through the rehab process and, ideally, into the winter healthy.
Martin’s injury has been a frustrating one because of how quickly he won people over. The 28-year-old debuted for Chicago on April 6 and was instantly one of the bullpen’s bright spots. In eight games, he posted a 2.16 ERA with 10 strikeouts in 8.1 innings, giving the Cubs exactly the kind of relief help they were desperate to find.
His final appearance came April 23 against the Philadelphia Phillies. Martin entered after Caleb Thielbar left with an injury, and even though he was already feeling the effects of the arm issue, he stayed in the game and got through the ninth inning. The Cubs went on to win 8-7 on a Dansby Swanson walk-off hit in the 10th.
Before this season, Martin’s rise had been a long one. The 28-year-old was a sixth-round pick out of Quincy University in 2021, reached Triple-A by the end of the 2023 season, and only got his chance after being added to the 40-man roster following the 2025 season.
For now, the rehab assignment is the best possible sign for a pitcher who looked like he could be part of the Cubs’ bullpen plans before the injury intervened. The hope now is that he comes out of this healthy and has a shot at winning a bullpen spot in 2027.
In Other News...
Kevin Alcntara May Have Just Reopened His Cubs Roster Path
Late in the 2026 season, Kevin Alcntara has started getting work at first base for Triple-A Iowa, a move that could give the Cubs another reason to keep him on the radar heading toward 2027. The 22-year-old outfielder has long been viewed as one of the organizations more interesting young talents, but adding a new position changes the conversation around him, especially for a club that values flexibility and needs to keep finding ways to fit right-handed depth onto the roster.
For Chicago, the timing matters. Alcntara is out of minor-league options, so the Cubs cant simply stash him in Iowa again if he shows enough to belong in the majors, and first base is an area where the team may want a capable bench piece behind Michael Busch. With some upcoming free-agent departures potentially thinning the mix, Alcntaras versatility could be more than a side note now, it might be the clearest path back to Wrigley when roster decisions get serious. [Read more 🡒]
Cubs Suddenly Have A Matthew Boyd Problem At The Worst Time
The Cubs are running out of time to sort out their October rotation, and the picture behind Clay Holmes is looking far less stable than it seemed a few weeks ago. Holmes still appears to be the leading candidate to start Game 1, but Chicago had hoped the rest of its playoff plan would settle more cleanly around Matthew Boyd and Kevin Gausman as dependable follow-up options.
Instead, both pitchers have raised concerns at the same moment. Gausman has struggled to find his footing since arriving in Chicago, and Boyd has faded over his recent outings, leaving the Cubs with a late-season decision that carries more weight than anyone would like. With the postseason approaching, the question is not just who gets the ball after Holmes, but whether the Cubs can trust the rotation order they thought they were building. [Read more 🡒]
Craig Counsell Just Raised The Stakes For Edward Cabrera
Edward Cabrera is back with the club after being reinstated from the injured list and shifting into the bullpen, though the right-hander did not get into the recent series against the Pirates. Even so, his return has already become a talking point because Craig Counsell framed him as more than just another arm in relief, pointing to the possibility of a bigger postseason job if the Cubs need it.
Counsells comparison to Roki Sasakis impact out of the Dodgers bullpen last October gives the idea some real weight, but Cabrera also arrives with questions attached. His recent metrics have been uneven, with a high home run rate and pitch effectiveness trending in the wrong direction, which leaves Chicago balancing the upside of his stuff against the risk that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]