Cubs Make Major Move To Pitching Staff

The Chicago Cubs have had a rollercoaster of a year with their pitching staff. Injuries have devastated the rotation and changed plans in the bullpen as well. Now, just as they're getting Edward Cabrera back from the injured list after missing most of the last three months, they're making another major move. 

The Cubs are planning to use the career-long starter out of the bullpen down the stretch. 

Craig Counsell said Edward Cabrera is active and Trent Thornton is headed to the IL with an ankle issue.

Plan is to ease Cabrera into his new role out of the bullpen.

— Jared Wyllys (@jwyllys) September 12, 2026

Manager Craig Counsell explained the move by pointing to a recent example—and a pretty successful one—of a starter being used out of the bullpen for a playoff contender.  

“One of the things we talked to Cabby about is there’s examples,” Counsell said ahead of Saturday's bout with the Pirates at Wrigley Field. “A great example from last year is what [Dodgers right-hander] Roki Sasaki did the last month and into the playoffs. That could happen. That’s an example. That’s a road map to how this could be really successful.”

Cabrera had been out since August 16th, when he returned for just one start after missing nearly two months before that, with a continued recurrence of a blister issue on his pitching hand. Perhaps the shorter stints on the mound as a reliever could help him fend off the blister problem. 

In 15 starts this year, Cabrera has been far from the high-end starting pitcher they thought they were getting after an offseason trade to acquire him from the Miami Marlins. Cabrera has posted a 5.68 ERA with a weak 67:32 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 76 innings.

His rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa wasn't exactly promising, as he allowed six runs in 3 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks. 

The Cubs bolstered their rotation considerably since the last time that Cabrera was a full-time starter, obtaining Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes in trades with the Toronto Blue Jays and New York Mets, respectively. With Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and David Peterson, the starting staff is full, so Cabrera will try to make a Sasaki-like impact out of the 'pen.