The Cubs’ pitching picture keeps shifting, and Hunter Harvey is the clearest warning sign in the bunch.
Chicago took a one-year shot on Harvey over the offseason, knowing full well his injury history came with the package. That gamble has already gone sideways.
Harvey logged only 12 appearances for the Kansas City Royals last season, then made just four outings for the Cubs before landing on the injured list with a triceps injury. He had been on track to restart his throwing program earlier this season, but that plan hit a setback.
Now, the outlook is bleak enough that he may not pitch for the Cubs again this year.
Craig Counsell addressed the situation with reporters, including The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney, and made it clear time is slipping away for Harvey’s return. The door isn’t officially shut, but the path back looks extremely narrow.
That reality stings even more given the state of the bullpen and the $6 million the Cubs spent on Harvey.
There’s better news on Ben Brown, though not necessarily in the role the Cubs may have hoped for. Brown is expected to pitch again this season after resuming baseball activity, and his throwing program is supposed to restart after the All-Star break.
A return to the rotation still isn’t off the table, but the calendar is working against that possibility. For now, a bullpen role looks more likely when he first comes back.
Edward Cabrera appears to be a step ahead of Brown in his recovery. He has resumed throwing, and the expectation is that he’ll get into a bullpen session before the end of July. If everything stays on track, August looks like the best-case window for his return.
And if the Cubs do get Cabrera back, there’s at least one encouraging piece to the puzzle: he should have enough time to build back up and rejoin the rotation. The bigger question is what kind of version of Cabrera they’ll get once he’s there.
In Other News...
Brewers Just Made The Pitching Move Cubs Fans Were Dreading
The Brewers just added another arm to a division race that already had the Cubs watching every move in Milwaukee. In a deadline-season trade with the Astros, they picked up veteran right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. and left-hander Colton Gordon, a move aimed at bolstering pitching depth as clubs position themselves for the stretch run.
For Cubs fans, the intrigue is less about the names than the possibility that Milwaukee is still shopping for more stability on the mound. McCullers has battled injuries and uneven results in recent years, including a 6.51 ERA in 16 appearances last season and a 6.86 mark in eight starts this year, but the Brewers are clearly betting there is still value in the profile. Whether this is the first step in a bigger push or just a depth play, it is the kind of transaction that can change the feel of a deadline chase in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
Former Cubs Pitching Depth Suddenly Finds Himself In Limbo Again
Charlie Barnes is back on the open market after another quick turn through a big-league organization, this time with the Dodgers. The left-hander, who once came through the Cubs system via a waiver claim, was designated for assignment by Los Angeles and cleared waivers before his latest roster move sent him into limbo again.
Barnes had gotten into four games for the Dodgers this season, giving the club some left-handed depth after his arrival from Chicago in May. His path has already included stops in MLB, KBO and multiple minor league systems, a reminder of how quickly a pitchers footing can change when a team needs an arm and the bullpen shuffle starts all over again. [Read more 🡒]