Porter Hodge threw from flat ground before Wednesday’s game. That might sound odd considering the high-leverage reliever went on the injured list the day before, but it’s part of an attempt to get him off the IL when eligible on June 3.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell said the team was being cautious with Hodge’s ailing left oblique muscle by putting him on the IL, but won’t waste time with him on the shelf.

“Not a complete shutdown,” Counsell told reporters before Wednesday’s game against the host Miami Marlins. “We’re going to keep his arm moving, just with a lower intensity, and hopefully by the weekend we can ramp this back up. I think his date to come off would be a week from Tuesday, so we’ll just go from there. (The left oblique) is getting better.”

That’s all positive for Hodge and the Cubs. While they’ve used several pitchers in the closer’s role this season without much effectiveness, Hodge had settled into that spot recently with Brad Keller and Daniel Palencia also working high-leverage situations.

His stat line isn’t great, with a 5.12 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP and two saves in 19.1 innings, but Hodge has been impactful late in game. Whether he’s formally the closer or not, the Cubs need him back in the mix.

That’s why the decision to place him on the IL in the first place was tough. He felt some pain in the oblique on Friday, pitched through it on Saturday and had some inflammation after that. The Cubs bullpen was taxed at that point, so they erred on the side of caution and recalled Ethan Roberts Tuesday afternoon to provide an extra arm.

Then Jameson Taillon’s quality start gave everyone save Chris Flexen an off day, which suggests the Cubs might’ve gotten by with Hodge remaining active.

“With pitchers, it’s tough,” Counsell said. “You can try to play seven or eight days without him, but it ends up putting a lot of pressure on the other guys. In hindsight, after last night, you think you should have waited. But you don’t know how the games are going to sequence. You have to be careful with Porter’s health.”