Did Jed Hoyer Hint That the Cubs Could Call Up Jordan Wicks Soon?

When the Chicago Cubs' Jed Hoyer joined 104.3 The Score on Wednesday afternoon, one word kept coming out of his mouth: "Internal."

The organization president of baseball operations fielded plenty of questions regarding the influx of bullpen injuries and a possibly active trade deadline. Not only did Hoyer stress how early in the season it is, but he also repeatedly emphasized the importance of finding solutions from within. Does that mean the Cubs will not look to solve some of their biggest problems on the trade market? Not necessarily, but it does suggest that fans will probably have to wait quite some time before a breaking news notification pops up on their home screen.

Indeed, Hoyer said that the best teams are able to ride out their early-season struggles by being creative with internal replacements. He also said that taking this approach in May and June can oftentimes help later in the summer. Ben Brown was name-dropped, as Hoyer insisted that these recent starts could only make him a strong asset down the road.

The front office exec also specifically mentioned two names currently pitching with the Iowa Cubs as arms they want to keep fresh with starts. Javier Assad was one; he's been a popular spot starter for the Cubs in the past and only recently moved back down to the Triple-A squad. No surprise there. The other, however, was someone the Cubs haven't seen on the mound at Wrigley in a while.

Should Cubs Fans Expect to See Jordan Wicks Soon?

Sep 28, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Jordan Wicks (36) delivers a pitch against the St. Louis Cardinals during the ninth inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

After being asked whether Javier Assad could see a start in the future, Jed Hoyer shared that he does envision stretching out the righty, and he also lumped Jordan Wicks into that comment. This led The Score's Mark Grote to quickly follow up and ask whether he does envision him getting another opportunity with the big league club soon:

“I think he’s really talented," Hoyer said. "Yeah, he’s had some ups and downs and some injuries. Obviously, he had the injury in spring training, so he wasn’t really a part of spring training at all for us. And he had some struggles in his early rehab, but threw well in his last time out. He needs to help us. He’s a talented pitcher.”

Wicks was first called up in 2023 for seven starts before officially joining the rotation in 2024. Injuries would hold him to only ten total starts, though, which provided mixed results (5.48 ERA). His 2025 campaign saw him move up and down from the big league roster, leading to just eight outings out of the bullpen. Over his 20 appearances in the minors, though, Wicks continued to impress with a 3.55 ERA.

Unfortunately for Wicks, 2026 started on the IL due to nerve issues. The lefty finally started some rehab assignments in mid-April, slowly but surely seeing his workload increase before he was officially activated. His most recent start was easily his best of the season, as he struck out six batters and only allowed one run in his 6.0 innings of work.

"I feel like he's a guy that has a lot of talent, has a lot of upside, and it’s just about maintaining that consistency to pitch at this level," Hoyer said on Wednesday.

Of course, Hoyer didn't specifically say when he envisions Wicks stepping back on the MLB mound. There is little doubt the front office will want to see a couple more quality starts in Triple-A before they pull the trigger. Still, the mere fact that Hoyer brought up Wicks on his own terms feels pretty noteworthy. This is particularly true when he follows that up with repeated remarks about the importance of depth and finding internal solutions.

It's very clear that the Cubs strongly value Wicks. He has hung around long enough and has been given multiple opportunities to work through his ups and downs. If the belief in him is this high, what better time to give him another taste of major league action?

The Cubs need all the help they can get at a time like this. And, as Hoyer implied, you want to use this early stretch of the season to find out who can help you down the road. If Wicks gets the call-up and fails to impress, you know to be even more aggressive at the deadline. If Wicks takes the mound and finally shows some stability? Maybe the Cubs can approach things a little differently.

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