Believe It or Not, the Cubs Just Put Another Pitcher on the IL

The Chicago Cubs are throwing Phil Maton back on the IL as his struggles continue.

Apr 6, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Phil Maton (88) throws a pitch against the Tampa Bay Rays in the seventh inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

You can't make this stuff up.

Ahead of the Chicago Cubs series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, another arm was sent to the IL. According to the team's transaction log, Phil Maton has been placed on the 15-day IL with right knee tendonitis.

Maton will now join a borderline comical list of Cubs pitchers who are currently unavailable. Most recently, we saw the organization lose both Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera for an extended time. The former is experiencing a stress reaction in his neck that could knock him out of play for a month or more. Meanwhile, Cabrera is rehabbing a mild hamstring strain suffered during his last start.

Overall, the Cubs' IL now features a total of ten pitchers. Starters Jameson Taillon, Justin Steele, and Cade Horton are also on the list. As for the bullpen, the team is currently without Riley Martin, Porter Hodge, Hunter Harvey, Daniel Palencia, and now Maton.

In a corresponding move, the Cubs officially activated David Peterson after acquiring him in a trade with the Mets earlier this week. He's expected to take the mound early in this Milwaukee series.

Cubs Add Phil Maton to Long List of Injuries

May 28, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Phil Maton (88) throws in the outfield before the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

To be clear, it's worth wondering if Phil Maton's IL stint is based solely on injury.

One of the Cubs' marquee free agent signings, the relief pitcher has been a borderline disaster this season. He holds a 6.08 ERA over his 26.2 innings of work. To say he's looked helpless on the mound at times would be an understatement.

The Cubs have watched his strikeout rate plummet from 32.5 percent in 2025 to a mere 23.8 percent. Likewise, his hard-hit percent has skyrocketed to 44.4 percent. That number sat at just 30.7 percent last season, which happened to be ranked in the league's 99th percentile.

Look, some regression from Maton was probably expected. His 2025 campaign was the best of his career. But this steep drop-off has been incredibly hard to stomach.

To be clear, Craig Counsell has had little choice but to turn to him due to the injury trouble. And the fact that he's making $14.5 million over two years also surely has something to do with it! Still, it speaks volumes about Maton's performance that part of this move to the IL could simply be to help him tweak his game. The Cubs currently need all the help they can get, but he's continued to be a liability. Maton has forked over a run in each of his last appearances.

This is now the second time that Maton has hit the IL. The Cubs first ruled him out in early April, citing the same issue.

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