The Chicago Cubs have performed much better as a bullpen over the last month or two, however it appears they are still going to be a ways away from getting one of their best arms back from the injured list.

Young, flamethrowing right-hander Porter Hodge has been on the injured list since the middle of May after what was a very strong start to the season. The 24-year-old looked to be getting closer to a return from both oblique and hip problems with the start of a rehab assignment, however the production there is proving that may not be the case.

More News: What Are Cubs’ NL Central Rivals Predicted To Do Ahead of Trade Deadline?

Hodge made an appearance last night for Triple-A Iowa — ironically the same game which was started by star ace Shota Imanaga — and though things went well for the Japanese lefty, the same cannot be said for Hodge.

In fact, the outing went about as poorly as possible for the righty.

In 0.1 innings pitched, Hodge allowed four hits and seven runs, six of them earned. He also walked two and did not record a strikeout.

More News: Cubs Bullpen Leads MLB in Important Streak as Relievers Step Up

This was Hodge’s third Triple-A appearance of the season and raised his ERA to an absurd figure of 23.14 along with a 3.00 WHIP. Of course, the sample size is small with just 2.1 innings thrown and he could certainly get it back together, but things are not trending in a positive direction.

Though the 5.12 ERA over 21 appearances in the big leagues is relatively unremarkable, most of that has come from just two rough outings.

More News: Cubs Reportedly Inquired About Rafael Devers Before Stunning Trade To Giants

Make no mistake, Hodge was the best reliever on the team over the first month of the season and continued his momentum from last year.

In 2024, he made 39 appearances and had an ERA of 1.88 with a 0.884 WHIP with 52 strikeouts in 43 innings and appeared to be a potential future superstar.

More News: Former Cubs Star Making Return to Wrigley Field for First Time in Over Two Decades

Though he was very impressive early on, this is a setback to this point that Hodge has been unable to recover from.

Clearly, he has a long way to go before he is able to make his return to the Major Leagues.

If Hodge is going to get his role in this bullpen back, he is going to have to prove he can still get it done. Right now, that is not happening.

Seeing whether or not he can get to his previous form is worth monitoring over the next several weeks, but regardless it seems he will not be back with the Cubs anytime soon.

For more Cubs news, head over to Cubs On SI.