CINCINNATI — Phil Maton returned to the Chicago Cubs on Saturday after one appearance on his minor-league rehab stint.
The veteran reliever, who was placed on the 15-day injured list on June 26 with right knee tendinitis, has had a horrific start since signing a two-year, $14.5 million deal in the offseason to serve as a late-inning bridge to closer Daniel Palencia .
How much of Maton's first-half struggles were due to his knee issues?
Chicago Cubs' 2026 draft: Mississippi right-hander Cade Townsend is their first pick at No. 23
"It's hard to know exactly," manager Craig Counsell said before Saturday's game against the Cincinnati Reds . "The knee has affected him, there's no question about it. And I think he would tell you it hasn't always prevented him from pitching, but it's just there.
"So we've taken two tries now to try and get it behind him a little bit and put it in the background. I think it's going to be there a little bit as we move forward, but hopefully we can keep it in the background."
The Cubs designated Jake Woodford for assignment to make room for Maton after his shaky debut outing in Friday's 4-0 loss . Woodford was signed to replace Bryse Wilson , who was designated for assignment after only two outings — one good and one bad. Wilson cleared waivers and was optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
That's the sad state of the Cubs bullpen, which has been a revolving door since the start of the season with no signs of slowing down. The relief corps ranks 16th with a 4.14 ERA but is 23rd since June 11 with a 5.54 ERA..
Counsell wouldn't say how he would use Maton coming off the IL.
"Everybody is the same right now," he said. "That's how we're treating the bullpen. At times he's going to have leverage innings. Maybe the next two days (before the break), probably not."
Maton posted a 6.08 ERA in 30 appearances after a 2.79 ERA in 63 outings last year with the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers . He was the biggest item on President Jed Hoyer's offseason bullpen shopping list, which also included Hoby Milner , Hunter Harvey and Colin Rea , who re-signed and was moved to the rotation early on.
It's not exactly the way Hoyer drew it up. Not counting Carson Kelly , the Cubs have used 26 relievers, including one-timers such as Woodford, Charlie Barnes and Ty Blach .
Now the most effective reliever has been Jacob Webb , who signed a one-year, $1.5 million deal. With Palencia and Milner out, Webb, Trent Thornton and Ryan Rolison have been Counsell's most trusted relievers. Counsell's most difficult task is getting the most out of a bullpen made up of journeymen pitchers.
"Webby has stepped up in some big situations for us," Maton said. "But Couns always puts the guy out there that lines up best for those pockets. He's done an outstanding job at that this year, so I imagine that's what he's going to continue to do."
Maton won't use the knee injury as an excuse but appreciated the Cubs giving him time to heal. He said he's working on going back to his old mechanics that alleviated some of the pain. He was scheduled to make a second rehab outing Saturday, but the Cubs, who normally take a more conservative approach, were desperate for help.
"I felt ready to go," he said. "There might be a need, but it was one of those situations where I told them I felt I was in a good spot mechanically, so if you guys need me I'm ready to go. I feel like I'm in a really good spot, so hoping that slingshots me into a better second half."
It's a do-over of sorts, though Maton knows he can't erase the first-half numbers.
"I wish I could do it over, wish you could get takebacks on outings throughout the year," he said. "But to me, it's just try to put up as many zeros as possible down the stretch and try to do my job. As relievers, our numbers can get inflated by certain outings. It's the nature of the game."
Maton still has time to get back to his old self, and if we've learned anything about Counsell, he's going to give struggling players with a good track record several opportunities to figure things out.
Counsell wasn't up to speed on the Cubs first-round draft pick Saturday , Mississippi pitcher Cade Townsend, leaving that to the scouting department. He didn't remember much about his draft day, other than the bonus.
Counsell received $5,000 from the Colorado Rockies for being an 11th-round pick in 1992.
"Pat Murphy negotiated it for me. He was my agent," Counsell said of the Milwaukee Brewers manager, who was then Counsell's coach at Notre Dame. "He got it up from $2,500."
What was Murphy's cut?
"He did not take a cut," Counsell said. "That was nice of him."
Did Counsell buy anything with his five grand?
"You spend it on food, because you're not getting paid, really," he said, laughing.
Counsell made up for the miniscule bonus by becoming the highest-paid manager in history with a five-year, $40 million deal.
Murphy is also reportedly doing OK in Milwaukee, though he's no longer an agent.
