Cubs Bullpen Suffers Another Injury Blow in 8

Just when you think the Chicago Cubs' bad injury luck has dissipated, it comes back.

The Cubs' bullpen is already decimated with injuries. Pitchers such as Phil Maton, Daniel Palencia, Porter Hodge and Hunter Harvey are already on the injured list, as well as starters Cade Horton and Justin Steele.

Now, reliever Caleb Thielbar has gone down with an apparent leg injury after throwing a pitch in the ninth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN. Thielbar had not recorded an out, giving up a game-tying home run to Adolis Garcia and a walk when he exited.

What does this mean for the Cubs?

Chicago Cubs pitcher Caleb Thielbar | David Banks-Imagn Images

Thielbar was acting as the de facto closer after Palencia's injury, going two for two on save opportunities this season. Now, it will have to be a next-man-up mentality for the Cubs. Riley Martin stepped in to send the game to extra innings.

The Milwaukee Brewers drafted Thielbar in the 18th round of the 2009 MLB Draft out of South Dakota State University. He was released by Milwaukee and caught on with the Minnesota Twins, where he would make his debut in 2013.

He was solid with the Twins in 2013 and 2014, pitching to a 1.76 and 3.40 ERA, respectively. He only pitched six games in 2015 before he was released.

During a five-year stint away from the major leagues, Thielbar played with the St. Paul Saints of the Independent League and had several minor-league deals.

After bouncing around, he finally landed again with the Twins and would make the majors again in 2020. He played eight overall seasons with Minnesota, pitching to a 3.38 ERA in 347 games.

Thielbar signed with the Cubs after the 2024 season. In 2025, he would appear in 67 games, pitching to a 2.64 ERA with 56 strikeouts. So far in 2026, Thielbar has pitched to a 3.12 ERA in 8.2 innings.

The Cubs will likely have to scramble to name another closer amid their win streak. Ben Brown or Javier Assad may be given the first crack at the closer role until Palencia comes back.

As the Cubs' injured list keeps getting longer, the team may have to bring in outside reinforcements to solidify what has been a great season so far. The Cubs can ill afford to have any more injuries with their current depleted staff.

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