The Chicago Cubs received a positive news update on right-hander Edward Cabrera after a loss on Tuesday, June 2, against the Athletics.
Manager Craig Counsell told reporters, including Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, that Cabrera is likely to return this weekend against the San Francisco Giants. The righty hit the 15-day injured list on Sunday, May 24, with a blister on his middle finger.
The Cubs’ news comes at a critical time, as the club has dropped 13 of its last 16 games. Pitching injuries have been a major part of Chicago’s struggles this season. The team has been without left-hander Justin Steele all year as he works his way back from a flexor strain. Fellow lefty Matthew Boyd recently tore the meniscus in his knee. Cade Horton is out for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
“We’ve had significant losses in the rotation,” Counsell said, relayed by Mooney. “Yeah, we need healthy bodies back, absolutely. The signs right now, everything is pointing to them returning in the near term.”
Chicago Cubs News Update: Edward Cabrera Expected to Return Against the San Francisco Giants
Cabrera was lifted from his most recent start after three innings against the Milwaukee Brewers. He gave up four runs in the abbreviated outing, though only one of them was earned, thanks to errors by Carson Kelly and Pete Crow-Armstrong. The Cubs were unable to recover from Cabrera’s rocky appearance and were ultimately shut out by a score of 5-0. Cabrera was not immediately placed on the IL with the blister. The club waited a few days to make the decision. The injury only cost him a handful of starts.
The Cubs have struggled all season to get consistent production from the starting rotation. The team’s starters rank 24th in the league with a 4.67 ERA. Chicago’s staff has the 10th-most losses in the league. Only the starting rotations of the Giants, Colorado Rockies, and Miami Marlins have allowed more earned runs than the Cubs.
Cubs Waiting for Cabrera Trade to Pay Off
The Cubs landed Cabrera in an offseason trade with the Marlins. Chicago shipped out top prospect Owen Caissie to get the deal done. The team also included infielder Cristian Hernandez and outfielder Edgardo De Leon in the deal. Cabrera represented the Cubs’ biggest splash of the offseason. He was expected to form a strong tandem at the top of the rotation with lefty Shota Imanaga.
The deal hasn’t gone as planned for Chicago. Cabrera has posted a middling 4.00 ERA through 10 starts. He began his tenure with the club by tossing 11.2 scoreless innings. Since then, he’s allowed at least three runs in eight consecutive appearances. Cabrera went winless in May.
Cabrera has maintained the control gains he showed in his final year in Miami. He has a solid 8.8% walk rate. The righty posted a career-best 8.3% walk rate in 2025. It was his first time recording a walk rate below 11%. The issue is that Cabrera’s strikeout rate has slipped to an underwhelming 20.7%. That’s easily a career-worst mark. His CSW% has fallen to 26.2%.
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