Edward Cabrera took another step toward Chicago on Tuesday night, and this time the Cubs got exactly the kind of outing that makes a decision feel close.
In his third minor-league rehab start, Cabrera was sharp again, this time for Double-A Knoxville. He threw five hitless innings, struck out seven and walked one, adding to the momentum he built in his previous outing for Triple-A Iowa, when he punched out eight over four innings. Before the start, Craig Counsell said the Cubs would evaluate Cabrera afterward and decide whether he was ready to come back.
The bigger issue now is not whether Cabrera looks ready. It’s what the Cubs want him to do once he gets here.
Before the trade deadline, the expectation was that Cabrera would slide into the starting rotation. That picture has shifted.
The Cubs have already confirmed that both Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes would be pitching out of the rotation, which changes the math. Unless the club wanted to move David Peterson to the bullpen - and that “shouldn't be an option” - Cabrera would appear to be the likelier fit in relief.
Another possibility is a six-man rotation through the end of the regular season, if Counsell wants to keep the group intact.
Daniel Palencia’s rehab path has been messier.
The Cubs have been talking about him as someone who could jump right back into high-leverage work, but his latest appearance for Double-A Knoxville was rough. Palencia gave up four runs in less than an inning, walked three and hit a batter.
As with Cabrera, the numbers matter less than the health check. If he comes out of the outing healthy, that’s the key piece.
Still, there’s reason to think Palencia may need at least one more outing, maybe two, before he’s activated. He hasn’t finished a clean inning in any of his three rehab appearances.
When he does return, the role might not be the full closer job anyway. He could end up in the hybrid late-inning role he held near the end of last season, especially if Jacob Webb keeps locking down the back end of games.
Matt Shaw is moving forward too, just not at the pace the Cubs originally hoped.
His wrist sprain has lingered longer than expected, but Counsell said the utility man has made progress lately. Shaw sounded cautiously encouraged, but he also made clear there’s still a threshold he has to clear before he’s ready for a rehab assignment.
“We’ve gotten to the point where I can swing almost full effort with no pain, or a little pain,” Shaw told the Chicago Sun-Times. “If I can get to the point where I can swing and miss or take a funky swing, things like that, with no pain, if I can do that - or at least like a 1 or 2, low-level pain - that’s definitely the marker to be like, ‘OK, ready to go.’
With Pedro Ramirez on the roster and Tyrone Taylor now in the picture after the trade, the Cubs can afford to be patient with Shaw. Even so, the roster looks better when he’s available as a bench option. That’s the hope as October gets closer.
In Other News...
Cade Horton Just Became A Bigger Cubs Concern Than Expected
Hunter Greenes latest setback is another reminder of how fragile pitcher plans can be, and it lands at a time when the Cubs are already tracking their own injury-recovery storyline with Cade Horton. Greene has been placed on the injured list, and the Reds now have to sort through the long road ahead without one of their most important arms. For Chicago, the parallel is hard to miss: once a young pitcher is in rehab mode, even the best-case calendar can start to look shaky fast.
Horton is still working his way back, and the Cubs have had to balance optimism with the reality that recovery timelines rarely behave exactly as projected. The hope is that he can rejoin the picture next summer, but there is still plenty between where he is now and any meaningful return to the mound. For a team that could use every bit of pitching depth it can get, the uncertainty around Horton is the kind that lingers far longer than the initial injury report. [Read more 🡒]
Pete Crow-Armstrongs Slump Has Cubs Fans Watching One Bigger Sign
Pete Crow-Armstrongs recent stretch has looked very different from the electric run he put together after the All-Star break, and the Cubs have had to ride it out while keeping the bigger picture in view. Over his last six games, the production has dipped and the strikeouts have climbed, but he has still managed to draw walks, which is part of why Chicago is willing to stay patient with a young hitter who had been one of its most dangerous bats for much of the second half.
The Cubs have even been using Crow-Armstrong at designated hitter lately, a sign they are trying to keep his bat in the lineup while giving him a bit of a reset. With the National League Central race still in play, his role matters beyond any short-term slump, especially after the kind of stretch he produced since the break. The question now is less about whether the Cubs trust him and more about how quickly he can get back to the form that made him such a difference-maker. [Read more 🡒]
Edward Cabrera's Return Leaves Cubs With A Rotation Decision
Edward Cabrera is set to come off the injured list and take the mound Sunday against the St. Louis Cardinals, giving the Cubs a timely boost as they sort through the back end of their pitching plan. His return adds another healthy arm to a staff that has been juggling rotation depth, and it comes at a moment when every start matters in the push ahead.
The next step is less clear, because Cabreras activation forces the Cubs to make a roster call and they have not finalized the move yet. The club is also weighing whether to stretch into a six-man rotation over the coming weeks, a structure that could help manage workloads but would require some reshuffling before the schedule settles in. [Read more 🡒]