The Chicago Cubs bullpen has been shaky throughout the 2026 season, and who would have thought back in April that Jacob Webb wouldn’t only be good, but he’d be one of the best relievers in MLB? Webb has truly been a savior in the Cubs bullpen that has either been without its top four high-leverage arms because of injuries or has been ineffective. However, a handful of relievers will be returning soon, which means the Cubs have some interesting decisions to make in the bullpen to make room.
First, let’s review the eight pitchers in the bullpen right now.
Cubs Bullpen (as of 8/7)
Aaron Civale
Braxton Garrett
Trent Thornton
Ryan Rolison
Caleb Thielbar
Ryan Zeferjahn
Jacob Webb
Meanwhile, with Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes joining the rotation, Javier Assad and Colin Rea are currently in flux: they’ve been in the starting rotation, but they’re now on the fringe after the trade-deadline acquisitions.
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Assad does have minor league options remaining, making him a candidate to be moved back to Triple-A whenever a pitcher is ready to be activated off the injured list. The same goes for Braxton Garrett, who was traded by the Miami Marlins to the Cubs on Monday in exchange for a pair of prospects. The left-handed pitcher was starting at Triple-A prior to the trade, but he was added to the Cubs’ bullpen earlier this week, taking Tyler Ferguson’s spot in the bullpen.
It may upset fans if Assad, who has a 3.58 ERA in 75.1 innings this season, is optioned to Iowa; however, it would give the Cubs roster flexibility. It would also allow Assad to remain stretched out in case he’s needed afterward to make a spot start.
Ryan Rolison, Ryan Zeferjahn, and Webb are safe from being swapped out in the bullpen, so the two notable relievers who may not survive the upcoming roster changes are Trent Thornton and Caleb Thielbar.
Funny enough, both of those guys stepped up in Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, as each pitcher tossed a scoreless inning to keep the game tied before Pete Crow-Armstrong walked it off in the 11th, scoring on a throwing error.
The 2.78 ERA and 48.1% ground ball rate look good for Thornton, who has been pitching in a lot of high-leverage spots for the Cubs this season. However, the right-handed pitcher has definitely regressed in recent weeks, posting a 4.76 ERA in his last 5.2 innings with a 1.76 WHIP in seven games.
Overall, Thornton only has a 12.2 K% while walking batters 10.1% of the time. He’s not striking out a lot of hitters; he’s walking more, and the .212 BABIP signals that Thornton will most likely continue to regress, especially when you consider that he has the fifth-highest hard-hit% among all relief pitchers with at least 30 innings since May 5, when the righty made his season debut with the Cubs.
As for Thielbar, it is difficult not to be worried about his home run issues in 2026. Last year, the veteran lefty was dominant, posting a 2.64 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and a 25.5 K%. He only gave up five home runs in 58 innings. This year has been a different story because although the strikeout rate remains good at 28.7%, the walk rate has increased to 8.7%, and Thielbar has given up 10 home runs in only 35.1 innings.
Since July 8, Thielbar has surrendered five home runs in 10.1 innings. He’s being used in high-leverage spots out of necessity right now, but the Cubs definitely don’t love that trend late in games.
Hoby Milner, Daniel Palencia, and Edward Cabrera are all expected to return some time in August. Assad and Garrett seem like the two easy guys to swap out because of their minor league options, so it could come down to Thornton and Thielbar to hang around until the next round of roster moves in September. Despite the home run issues, Thielbar may ultimately be safe from the chopping block because he does have the strikeout ability, which is very valuable from the left side out of the bullpen.
