Edward Cabrera’s stuff wasn’t exactly popping off lately with the Chicago Cubs, and then in his last start, the right-handed pitcher exited in the fourth inning because of a blister issue. Luckily, it was only a blister, and nothing more serious, as the Cubs have already been dealt a nasty hand with numerous pitching injuries this season.
However, as minor an issue as it was in the grand scheme of things, the Cubs did place Cabrera on the 15-day injured list. The IL stint is retroactive to May 21, so Cabrera is eligible to return by the end of next week, when the Cubs begin a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants at Wrigley Field.
Cabrera threw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Thursday and is scheduled to throw another one on Sunday. This one will be key, as the Cubs don’t necessarily want to waste any more time than needed on Cabrera’s return.
The 28-year-old has recorded a 4.00 ERA in 10 starts so far in 2026. The right-hander has 47 strikeouts, 20 walks, and he’s given up eight home runs in 54 innings. Cabrera’s velocity has decreased from last year, and so has his movement on his breaking pitches.
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If you’re the Cubs, you’re hoping the blister is causing these issues, and that getting it repaired will lead to improved results.
So, look for an update on Sunday’s bullpen session. If all is good, then Cabrera should be able to come back and pitch against the Giants five days later, when he is first eligible to be activated off the injured list.
Meanwhile, the Cubs will have Jordan Wicks pitch in Sunday’s series finale this weekend against the St. Louis Cardinals. The lefty was called up to fill in for Cabrera, and it was a brutal first start earlier this week. Wicks made his first MLB start since 2024 on Tuesday, when he took the loss after allowing eight earned runs on nine hits in 4.1 innings.
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There were a few minutes there where it was over for the Chicago Cubs. Justin Steele suffered a setback last month. Cade Horton is already out for the season, while Matthew Boyd is recovering from knee surgery. The last thing the Cubs can afford right now is another pitching injury, and while it’s less than ideal, at least Edward Cabrera didn’t blow out his elbow on Wednesday night.
It seemed like that was the case after Cabrera threw a 92.5mph four-seam fastball to begin the fourth inning. That was considerably lower than his average velocity, and the pitch that ended way out of the strike zone made catcher Carson Kelly call for the trainer. A quick conversation on the mound resulted in Cabrera exiting the game in the fourth inning.
The Cubs finally gave an update, but those 10 minutes before hearing anything were painful. Any time you see a pitcher lose 4-5mph on a fastball and the trainer is called, you automatically think there’s an elbow injury, which means months, if not the rest of the year, being missed. Luckily, it turned out to be a blister on Cabrera’s middle finger that caused his early exit against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Cabrera allowed four runs in three innings pitched on Wednesday, but only one of those runs was earned. Yet, it was yet another shaky performance from Cabrera, who has been trending down in the past few weeks. The righty only had two strikeouts, while giving up four hits and two walks in his three innings.
Last year, Cabrera began the regular season on the injured list because he had his right middle fingernail removed to expedite his recovery from the blister that he suffered during spring training. Hopefully, this time around, the recovery will be a lot quicker for Cabrera.
