Riley Martin to Miss 8 Weeks with Flexor Strain, Compounding Cubs’ Injury Woes
We somehow failed to get this up when it was announced, but lefty reliever Riley Martin has been diagnosed with a flexor strain and is expected to miss roughly eight weeks. That news was first reported by Marquee’s Taylor McGregor, who dropped it in a brief tweet. This is actually a pretty positive development, considering the initial fear was that he’d become the third Cubs pitcher to need elbow reconstruction this season.
The 28-year-old southpaw has had quite a journey from Quincy University to the bigs, and he’d been pitching well in his debut season. Martin posted a 2.18 ERA with 10 strikeouts and two walks over 8.1 innings, even opening a game to give him just his fourth professional start. This guy knows a little something about tough times, and this injury should just be a bump in the road for him.
I appreciate that Riley Martin felt comfortable enough to share this story. pic.twitter.com/x8BF5EW4aK
— Elise Menaker (@EliseMenaker) April 12, 2026
It’s a much bigger hurdle for the Cubs, who are casting an ever-widening net in search of live arms that can help them get through this minefield of injuries. This feels like a cross between Forrest Gump and Sisu, two entirely disparate movies that nonetheless make sense when you’re a chronically online pop culture junkie. In Gump’s early shrimping days, his catches consisted of one edible crustacean among a pile of literal trash. And in Sisu, Waffen-SS platoon obersturmführer Bruno Helldorf sends hostages ahead to discover mines as he pursues the film’s protagonist.
If you prefer a more conventional comparison, Jed Hoyer and his front office team are essentially looking to stream relievers like a fantasy baseball manager with no innings limits. They figure to have something of a revolving door in that last roster spot, maybe two, just to ensure they’ve got enough pitchers to get through the next series.
As part of that necessary strategy, the Cubs recently claimed lefty Doug Nikhazy off waivers from the White Sox. Nikhazy is likely to serve a role similar to Vince Velasquez, who was called up when Caleb Thielbar hit the IL and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings against the Dodgers before being designated for assignment to make room for Yacksel Ríos. It looks like Ríos might get another shot after topping 99 in his own scoreless outing in LA, so that’s cool.
Velasquez and Scott Kingery, who was DFA’d to clear room for Nicky Lopez, both cleared waivers and have been outrighted to Triple-A Iowa. Both can elect free agency, but there has been no indication yet as to what either will do.
