What is the state of Cubs' bullpen without Neris?

CHICAGO -- The players with Triple-A Iowa loaded into their team bus on Monday and were beginning the journey to Toledo, Ohio, for the road series against the Mud Hens. A few minutes into the trip, the bus turned around and headed back to Principal Park.

“We were like, ‘What’s going on?’” Cubs relief prospect Jack Neely said on Tuesday afternoon at Wrigley Field. “And they said I needed to get off the bus. I was going to Chicago.”

On his first night in the Major Leagues, Neely took in a 3-1 victory over the Tigers as the newest member of the Cubs’ bullpen. He watched rookie Porter Hodge collect the save, culminating in a game-ending strikeout of former Cubs star Javier Báez, who received a tribute video before the game and a rousing standing ovation prior to his first at-bat.

Báez’s return to the Friendly Confines for the first time since being dealt away at the ‘21 Trade Deadline was a reminder of how much has changed and continues to change for the North Siders. Kyle Hendricks is the lone player left from the team that won the ‘16 World Series, and the front office is still trying to find a new formula to get back to October.

Even with the Cubs (62-64) inching closer to the .500 mark, the team’s postseason odds remain slim right now. That means president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer needs to balance getting what he can out of this season while also planning for 2025. That is how Hoyer treated the Trade Deadline, and it also played into his decision-making with the bullpen on Tuesday.

Prior to Tuesday’s win over the Tigers -- the third win through four games on the current homestand for the North Siders -- the Cubs designated veteran reliever Héctor Neris for assignment. The corresponding move was to tell Triple-A Iowa manager Marty Pevey to stop the bus and get Neely to Chicago.

“We are playing better,” Hoyer said. “You want to keep winning games, and you want to focus on that. And you also want to make sure you can take a look at guys that we believe are part of our future.”

The 6-foot-8 Neely, who is ranked as the No. 18 Cubs prospect by MLB Pipeline, was one of two Minor Leaguers acquired from the Yankees for Mark Leiter Jr. at the July 30 Trade Deadline.

“It definitely was a surprise,” Neely said. “I couldn’t be happier to be a part of the Cubs. I had never been traded before so I didn’t really know how to feel. I was excited. Obviously, it was a great opportunity. It just kind of hit me like a whirlwind a little bit.”

All the 24-year-old Neely did after joining Iowa was pile up 13 strikeouts against one walk with one unearned run allowed on four hits in 6 2/3 innings. Overall, Neely has turned in a 2.42 ERA with 76 strikeouts compared to 17 walks between the Double-A and Triple-A levels this season.

“Look at his stats in Iowa,” Hoyer said. “He’s a guy that deserves to be up here and get his feet wet in the big leagues.”

A major part of the Cubs’ in-season turnaround within the bullpen -- beyond some external additions and getting a few injured arms back -- was the emergence of rookies Luke Little and Hodge. The hope is Neely can follow suit.

Little, 23, got better with experience, fashioning a 1.59 ERA over his last 20 appearances before a left shoulder/lat setback ended his season on July 13. Hodge, 23, has logged a 2.08 ERA with 36 strikeouts compared to 12 walks, one hit batter and just 15 hits allowed in 30 1/3 innings through 27 games for the North Siders.

In the first game without Neris, Cubs manager Craig Counsell received 5 2/3 strong innings from Javier Assad, got just enough offense and then handed the ball to Hodge for the save in the ninth after Tyson Miller and Drew Smyly handled a combined 2 1/3 scoreless frames. After giving up a leadoff double to Spencer Torkelson, the righty set down the next three batters in order to seal the Cubs’ win.

“Porter’s been outstanding,” Counsell said. “He has taken as big a step forward since Spring Training as maybe any player that we’ve had. … You want to just have as many guys like that that can take that step forward. And you obviously hope that Jack’s in that situation.

“Now, how fast it happens? It’s happened pretty fast for Porter. I think we all can acknowledge that it’s happened pretty fast. It’s different for everybody, but hopefully Jack puts himself into that mix and is one of those guys.”