Pitching reinforcements Edward Cabrera, Hoby Milner, and Daniel Palencia are nearing returns, providing a much-needed boost to Chicago’s pitching group.
Three Chicago Cubs pitchers are close to a return.
Edward Cabrera, Daniel Palencia, and Hoby Milner are all progressing nicely from their respective injuries. Cabrera has been out since June 24 due to a left hamstring/adductor strain. Palencia has been on the shelf since June 16 with a right flexor strain, and Hoby Milner underwent an emergency appendectomy on June 27.
But all three pitchers should return to the Cubs within the next few weeks. All three pitched for the Iowa Cubs as part of their rehab assignment on Wednesday afternoon against Triple-A Indianapolis.
Cabrera started that game and was nearly untouchable on the mound. He allowed one unearned run with one hit and eight strikeouts in his second rehab start since landing on the injured list. This strong outing came after the right-hander gave up three runs across 1 ⅔ innings last week.
It’s nice to see Cabrera throw the ball well in Wednesday’s rehab start. The expectation is that he’ll appear in one more rehab outing next week before potentially being activated off the injured list during the week of August 17.
After Cabrera set down 12 of the 14 batters he faced, Milner followed out of the bullpen in the bottom of the fifth inning. He made quick work by allowing an unearned run across one inning. The southpaw gave up one hit, one walk, and two strikeouts in his one inning of work.
Milner is the closest of the three pitchers to return. He has already appeared in three rehab assignment games and has looked solid in those three outings. The Cubs left-hander threw one scoreless inning on July 29, allowed one run across 1 ⅓ innings on August 1, and gave up an unearned run across one inning on August 5. There’s a good chance that he could be activated within the next few days.
Then, Palencia appeared in his first rehab assignment game in the seventh inning of Wednesday's contest. He allowed one run on one hit with two walks and one strikeout across ⅔ of an inning.
Palencia will need a couple of apperances at Iowa before the Cubs add him to the active roster. He has been out for almost two months while recovering from a mild right flexor strain. The team will want him to throw in multiple games prior to being activated.
Some reinforcements are definitely on the way for the North Siders. Cabrera should slot right back into the rotation, while Milner and Palencia will be key parts of the bullpen. As the Cubs try to close the deficit in the National League Central, they will need as much help as they can get.
