Cubs Place Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown on Injured List

The Chicago Cubs continue to have bad injury luck. 

Even though veteran Matthew Boyd will return to the rotation for Thursday’s series finale against the New York Mets, the Cubs sent two starters to the injured list before Wednesday’s doubleheader. 

The Cubs placed both Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown on the 15-day injured list on Wednesday.  

Cabrera's move to the IL does not come as a surprise, considering he left Tuesday’s start early after making a play at first base. He was eventually carted off the field, and manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game that the right-hander would miss some time. 

How much time Cabrera misses will depend on the results of his MRI. However, it’s not a great sign that he was carted off the field and was seen on crutches after the team’s win. This should be more than a minimum stay on the IL. 

As for Brown, his placement on the IL came out of nowhere. He threw the ball well in his most recent start against the Toronto Blue Jays by throwing six innings of two-run ball and was expected to pitch opposite Jacob Misiorowski in Friday’s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Unfortunately, that will no longer be the case. 

Brown lands on the 15-day IL due to a neck strain. It’s unclear when the 26-year-old suffered this injury, but he will now be out through the end of June and into the beginning of July. If this is just a mild strain, he could be back before the All-Star break. 

Losing two starters in one day is obviously not great news for the Cubs. The team is already down starters Cade Horton (Tommy John), Justin Steele (elbow/forearm), Jameson Taillon (hamstring), and Boyd (meniscus/shoulder)

While Boyd will be activated off the IL on Thursday, the North Siders will still be down multiple starters. Cabrera will almost certainly be out through the All-Star break, and the severity of Brown’s neck strain is unknown. 

Boyd will obviously take one of these vacated spots in the rotation. However, the Cubs still need to figure out who takes the other rotation spot. 

The problem is they don't have many viable options to call up. 

Jordan Wicks could be an option, but he struggled in his two starts in the big leagues this year. The southpaw has also allowed 18 earned runs in 15 ⅔ innings in June at Triple-A Iowa. 

Vince Velasquez could see some starts while the Cubs deal with some injuries. His contract was selected before Wednesday’s game, and the veteran has made six starts with the Iowa Cubs this year. He has a 6.15 ERA across 33 ⅔ innings in the minors. 

The Cubs' rotation already ranked 22nd in team ERA (4.52) since May 1. Now, they’ll be down two more starters, including Brown, who has been their best pitcher this season with a 1.85 ERA and 65 strikeouts.