The Chicago Cubs were able to survive the injuries that seemingly hit every other day in April, but the depth has been stretched thin, and it might be time to turn back to a forgotten pitcher. Sure, guys like Colin Rea, Javier Assad, Ben Brown have all stepped up in the first 50 games of the season, but if the Cubs want a different look, then Jordan Wicks may be the answer.
The left-handed pitcher had a setback in spring training, which knocked him out of the running for the Opening Day roster. The chances were slim that he’d get a spot anyway, but the arm issue sidelined Wicks for weeks. The 2021 first-round pick has been mired with injuries, and in 2025, it seemed like the Cubs didn’t trust Wicks to fill in, even on a temporary basis, with that team’s starting rotation issues.
Now, the Cubs may have no choice. Cade Horton is out for the year, Matthew Boyd is rehabbing from knee surgery, Justin Steele won’t be back until July, and Edward Cabrera recently exited his latest start with a blister. If the Cubs need to skip Cabrera’s next start or place him on the injured list if the blister issue doesn’t get better, then Wicks has certainly made a case to get another shot in the rotation.
On Thursday, Wicks threw five shutout innings at Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs. The lefty only gave up one hit and walked two batters, while recording two strikeouts in five innings.
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Wicks has been strong in his last three outings at Triple-A. In those three starts, Wicks has given up one earned run in 15 innings with 12 strikeouts and eight walks. He has a 0.60 ERA while allowing a total of seven hits.
The Cubs begin a weekend series against the Houston Astros on Friday at Wrigley Field. Jameson Taillon and Rea are the scheduled starters for the first two games, while Sunday’s starter has yet to be announced. It wouldn’t be Wicks on this short of notice, but there’s a chance that he could be called up to make a spot start next week. The Cubs won’t have an off day until June 1.
