With Edward Cabrera leaving Wednesday's start early, this pitcher emerges as the prime candidate to rejoin the North Siders' rotation after dominant recent performances in Triple-A.
There is some uncertainty surrounding Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Edward Cabrera’s recent injury.
Cabrera left his start early in Wednesday’s loss due to a right middle finger blister. The Cubs right-hander departed in the top of the fourth inning when he threw a 92.3 mph four-seam fastball way out of the zone.
While Cabrera’s injury is only a blister, these types of issues do sometimes result in injured-list stints. Nick Lodolo has had multiple IL stints due to blisters, and Max Fried might have landed on the IL last year if not for his blister occurring right before the All-Star break.
“It’s something that he’s dealt with a little bit,” Counsell told reporters following Wednesday’s loss. “It just got worse tonight, to the point where it was clearly affecting his command, as much as anything. We tried to do something after the third inning, and it just didn’t work.”
The Cubs have not made any IL decisions regarding Cabrera just yet. However, there is a strong chance he is eventually placed on the 15-day IL to ensure this nagging blister is fully healed. Chicago is not going to send him back on the mound if there’s even the slightest possibility his blister could open up again.
If Cabrera does require an IL stint in the coming days, the Cubs will have to replace him in the rotation. Javier Assad could find himself back up with the Major League club, and Jordan Wicks could also be in the mix to fill Cabrera's spot in the rotation.
Wicks started the season on the 15-day IL due to a left forearm issue. After making six starts for the Iowa Cubs as part of his rehab assignment, the front office decided to activate the left-hander from the IL and immediately option him to Triple-A.
It wasn’t a total surprise to see this be the case. Wicks had a 5.48 ERA and 18 strikeouts across 21 ⅓ innings in his six rehab outings, and the Cubs didn’t really need his services as a starter at that time.
But a few days later, things have changed.
The North Siders might need a starter moving forward, and Wicks lines up perfectly to replace Cabrera. He just started at Triple-A on Thursday, meaning he could be available to pitch again as soon as Tuesday. Tuesday just so happens to be Cabrera’s spot in the rotation.
The southpaw has also pitched well in his last few outings. He threw six innings of one-run ball with a season-high six strikeouts against Triple-A Nashville on May 15 and then delivered five shutout innings with one hit allowed with two strikeouts against Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.
If Cabrera ends up going on the IL, it could make sense to give Wicks another shot in the big leagues. He has thrown the ball well in the Minors recently, and Assad is not fully built up as a starter right now.
