Hughes (knee) was placed on the 15-day injured list Thursday, retroactive to March 27.
Hughes was sidelined for the last week of spring training with left knee soreness, and the Cubs opted for an IL stint rather than rushing him back for Opening Day. The left-hander threw a bullpen session Monday and will be eligible to be activated April 11.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Likely trending toward IL
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Hughes (knee) is expected to open the season on the 15-day injured list, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
Though Hughes was able to throw a bullpen session Monday and looks to be making solid progress in his recovery from left knee soreness, the fact that he hasn't yet resumed facing hitters with Opening Day just three days away suggests that the Cubs will err on the side of caution and stash him on the IL to begin the season. Assuming he's able to return after a minimum-length stay on the IL or close to it, the left-handed Hughes should factor into the Cubs' late-inning mix once healthy, though he may not be manager David Ross' preferred option for save situations.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Completes bullpen session
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Hughes (knee) tossed a bullpen session Monday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Hughes won't be part of the pitching schedule in Monday's Cactus League game against the White Sox and may not take the mound for Tuesday's spring finale either, clouding his status for Opening Day. The 27-year-old southpaw turned in a 3.12 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 68:21 K:BB while converting eight saves over 57.2 innings as a rookie last season, and though he's expected to remain part of the Cubs' late-inning equation in 2023, Hughes may not manager David Ross' first choice to close games.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Throws off mound
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Hughes (knee) threw off a mound Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Hughes has dealt with left knee inflammation throughout spring, which may wind up sending him to the injured list. Saturday's session was a sign of progress, but it remains unclear if he'll have time to finish his build-up process before Opening Day.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Can't rule out IL stint
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Cubs manager David Ross said Thursday that he couldn't rule out Hughes (knee) requiring an IL stint, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
Hughes hasn't appeared in a Cactus League game since March 16, and he acknowledged to reporters Thursday in Cubs camp that he's been battling lingering left knee inflammation for much of the spring. It's shown up in his production on the mound, as the 27-year-old left-hander has yielded three earned runs on five hits and three walks through four innings this spring. The hope is he can return to live action this weekend, but there's minimal margin for error with Opening Day just one week away.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Dealing with left knee issue
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Hughes said Thursday he's been dealing with some discomfort in his left knee, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
The injury explains why it has been a full week since Hughes last pitched in a Cactus League game. It doesn't sound like a significant issue, but any type of discomfort is concerning this close to Opening Day. The 27-year-old left-hander is expected to work in a high-leverage role out of the Cubs' bullpen this season, though Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger are thought to be the frontrunners for saves.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Out of closer mix?
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With Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger viewed as the Cubs' top closing options, per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, Hughes may have to settle for setup work.
Fulmer and Boxberger both joined the team in the offseason and have plenty of experience in big relief spots, so it makes sense that the Cubs view them as their top closing options. Hughes did pick up eight saves toward the end of last season, though he may also be Chicago's only left-handed reliever to start this year; therefore, the team may use him at different points in games based on matchups. The 27-year-old may see his fantasy value diminish if he's not closing out contests, but he could have some appeal in leagues that count holds.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Easing into spring work
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The Cubs are easing Hughes into Cactus League action after the lefty set a career high in innings pitched last season, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Hughes has yet to appear in a spring contest, which is by design after he logged 57.2 innings in relief last season. That's not a particularly high number, but the converted outfielder tossed only 17 innings in the minors the year before, which was his first time on the mound as a professional. The lefty should once again be a key bullpen weapon for the Cubs, possibly closing out games, though Rowan Wick along with newcomers Michael Fulmer and Brad Boxberger could factor into the mix as well.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Has new bullpen competition
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Hughes will likely compete with newcomers Brad Boxberger and Michael Fulmer for back-end roles in Chicago's bullpen to begin the year, Mike Axisa of CBS Sports reports.
Righties Fulmer and Boxberger both joined the mix in the offseason, joining fellow righty Rowan Wick and the lefty Hughes at the back of Chicago's bullpen. Hughes had eight saves and a strong 3.12 ERA in 2022, but the Cubs may mix and match to close games in 2023, which could limit the upside of all these pitchers.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Locks down eighth save
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Hughes retired the final out of Saturday's win over the Reds via strikeout to earn the save.
Manuel Rodriguez started the ninth inning for the Cubs, but the team turned to the lefty Hughes to face left-handed pinch hitter TJ Friedl, who he retired on three pitches to earn his eighth save of the year. Rodriguez, however, has seemingly emerged as the team's preferred closing option with a few days left in the season. Both players could be in the mix for saves heading into 2023, depending on what Chicago does in the offseason.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Picks up hold
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Hughes allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning as the Cubs defeated the Phillies, 2-1 on Tuesday.
After converting the Cubs' last save opportunity in his last outing, Hughes was called upon to protect a 2-1 lead in the eighth inning Tuesday. He recorded a lineout followed by a walk and a double play to retire the Phillies but was pulled after allowing a leadoff single in the ninth inning. Manuel Rodriguez quickly recorded three outs to end the game and earn Hughes his seventh hold. Since the team traded David Robertson on Aug. 2, manager David Ross has followed somewhat of a closer-by-committee approach, leading to Hughes recording four saves and four holds in the month of September.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Earns seventh save
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Hughes (ankle) picked up the save Sunday in Pittsburgh, retiring the only batter he faced in an 8-3 win.
Hughes entered the game with two outs and the bases loaded and got Diego Castillo to line out to end the game. It was his seventh save of the season and fourth since Sept. 9. The lefty was removed from Thursday's game after he rolled his ankle but was healthy enough to pitch Sunday after not being used the last two nights. He's likely to have save opportunities down the stretch, but the Cubs may also use him in high-leverage situations earlier in ballgames.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Notches fourth save
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Hughes allowed one hit and struck out one over 1.1 scoreless innings while earning a save against the Giants.
Hughes tossed 14 of 21 pitches for strikes to pick up his first save since Aug. 23. He lowered his season ERA to 3.17 alongside a 61:16 K:BB through 46 appearances in his rookie campaign. The 26-year-old southpaw has now converted four of his eight save chances.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Takes second loss
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Hughes (2-2) allowed two runs on two hits while retiring just two batters Sunday to take the loss against the Cardinals.
Coming on in relief for Marcus Stroman, who pitched seven scoreless innings, Hughes quickly let St. Louis get ahead. A one-out double by Tommy Edman was followed by an Albert Pujols two-run home run, and the Cardinals made the 2-0 margin hold up. Hughes now has a 3.72 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 11.2 K/9 over his last 10 games, so he's pitched pretty well outside of the tough outing Sunday. He should continue to split closing duties with Rowan Wick.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Possible waiver wire pickups
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It's looking more and more like Brandon Hughes is now the preferred option for saves in Chicago. The left-hander's 3.14 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 12.1 K/9 are numbers befitting the role, and he has registered three of the Cubs' past four saves. The one exception was an extra-inning contest Friday, where the save went to Manuel Rodriguez instead. Of course, Hughes worked the eighth inning of that game and actually suffered a blown save, so it seems like manager David Ross is still experimenting with roles in the aftermath of the David Robertson trade. He's clearly shying away from Rowan Wick, though, who got four of the team's first five saves with Robertson gone but owns a 4.64 ERA and 1.75 WHIP overall. I'll take Hughes instead, thank you.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Picks up third save
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Hughes earned the save in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against St. Louis, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning in a 2-0 victory.
Hughes needed just eight pitches to retire the side in order and collect his third save in the last week. The rookie has received the last three ninth-inning save opportunities for the Cubs after Rowan Wick received the bulk of the opportunities after the trade deadline. Hughes has a 2.20 ERA, 0.80 WHIP, and 19:4 K:BB in 16.1 innings since the All-Star break. It appears as if the lefty and Wick will split the closing duties for Chicago for the time being.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Notches second save
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Hughes gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his second save of the season in an 8-7 win over the Brewers. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.
The 26-year-old moved into a high-leverage role this month, and Hughes has picked up saves in two straight appearances. Rowan Wick had worked in back-to-back games when Hughes got his first save Thursday, but Wick was the more rested pitcher Friday, so the fact that Milwaukee had Christian Yelich and Rowdy Tellez due up in the ninth in this one likely played into manager David Ross' thinking when he called for the lefty. Hughes has better overall numbers on the season as well with a 2.95 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 49:13 K:BB through 39.2 innings, so this looks like a closer tandem for now, and he could even take over the job completely from Wick if the latter stumbles.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Collects first save
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Hughes allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Thursday against the Orioles.
Rowan Wick pitched on consecutive days entering Thursday's game and was likely unavailable, which gave Hughes an opportunity in the ninth inning. Though the tying reached scoring position -- Zach McKinstry committed an error in addition to the hit surrendered -- Hughes got Cedric Mullins to line into a game-ending double play to tally his first career save. Wick appears to have a clear grip on the closer role for the Cubs, but Hughes has been excellent across 38.2 innings this season by maintaining a 3.03 ERA and 49:13 K:BB.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Earns first MLB win
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Hughes (1-0) worked around two hits and a walk to pitch a scoreless inning of relief and earn the win Friday against the Red Sox. He struck out two.
Appearing in his 16th game at the MLB level, Hughes earned his first win, though he didn't make it easy. Coming on with one on and one out in the sixth, he struck out the first hitter he faced, but then allowed a single and a walk to load the bases. Another single brought home an inherited runner to make it 5-3 Boston, but a play at the plate prevented any more damage. The Cubs then rallied to score three in the bottom of the inning to set Hughes up for the win. The lefty has a 4.26 ERA and 1.37 WHIP across 19 innings this year and should remain in a middle relief role for now.
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Cubs' Brandon Hughes: Rises to majors
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The Cubs selected Hughes' contract from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday.
Chicago freed up a spot on the 40-man roster for Hughes by placing Jason Heyward on the COVID-19-related injured list and opened up room for the southpaw in the bullpen by optioning Conner Menez to Triple-A Iowa. A 16th-round draft pick out Michigan State in 2017, Hughes had yet to allow a run while striking out 22 and holding opponents to an .091 average through 16.2 innings at Iowa. The Cubs are likely to deploy him in lower-leverage spots initially.
