How Edward Cabrera's Return Will Impact the Ailing Cubs Bullpen

The Chicago Cubs will hope that Edward Cabrera is back for good this season.

Why? Because they desperately need him, even if it isn't in the role he assumed at the beginning of the year.

The Cubs activated Cabrera from the 15-day IL on Saturday ahead of the 4-3 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, bringing Cabrera's third IL stint of the season to an end at last. In a corresponding move, Trent Thornton went to the IL with left ankle soreness.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell confirmed to reporters on Saturday that the right-hander will pitch out of the bullpen for the back stretch of the season.

Saturday Cubs roster move:

Edward Cabrera has been reinstated from the IL. Trent Thornton has been placed on the 15-day IL with left ankle soreness.

Cabrera will pitch out of the pen. "The first outing we're certainly going to try to get him into an easier situation, and then…
— Elise Menaker (@EliseMenaker) September 12, 2026

"The first outing, we're certainly going to try to get him into an easier situation, and then we'll just kind of go from there," Counsell told reporters via Marquee Sports Network's Elise Menaker. "I think he has the ability to do more than that, and let's see what the game calls for."

Cabrera had an up-and-down couple of rehab assignments, but he looked sharp in his appearance on Sept. 9 when he worked for two innings in relief, allowing an earned run on 21 pitches. He touched 100 mph with his fastball, which was a great sign for the Cubs.

In Cabrera's 15 starts for the Cubs this season, he has a 5.68 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP in 76 innings pitched. Pitching out of the bullpen was certainly not on the cards for the 28-year-old when the Cubs acquired him from the Miami Marlins last offseason, but the circumstances have made it his best option to get back into the fold.

The Cubs have added three new starters in David Peterson, Clay Holmes, and Kevin Gausman since Cabrera was last in the rotation regularly, and Cabrera was clearly struggling with command in his first year as a starter for Chicago. Out of Cabrera's 104 career MLB appearances, only two have come out of the bullpen — both were in 2023 with Miami.

But Counsell told reporters Saturday that he has a vision for the way Cabrera can impact the Cubs down the stretch, much like the Los Angeles Dodgers did with Roki Sasaki last season en route to another World Series title.

Craig Counsell hates using these types of comps, yet the Cubs manager still floated the idea that Edward Cabrera could become the Roki Sasaki of this year’s playoffs. On the desperate state of Chicago’s bullpen:https://t.co/7J6cj19geh
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) September 13, 2026

“A great example from last year is what Roki Sasaki did the last month, into the playoffs,” Counsell said via The Athletic's Patrick Mooney. "That could happen. That’s a roadmap to how this could be really successful. Is that the best result? That was a pretty darn good result. But that’s what you keep yourself open to.”

Sasaki had a 4.72 ERA in eight starts as a rookie before spending three months on the IL with a shoulder issue. When he returned at the tail end of the regular season, he instead made two scoreless appearances out of the bullpen in September.

That prepared Sasaki for an excellent postseason run in which he posted a sparkling 0.84 ERA in nine appearances and 10.2 innings.

The Cubs are chasing a second consecutive playoff berth and entering Sunday, sitting atop the NL Wild Card standings. They lead the Philadelphia Phillies by 1.5 games and the third-place San Diego Padres by 2.5 games.

All things considered, the Cubs' bullpen has a 3.67 ERA in September. They'll go for a sweep of the Pirates on Sunday, and they now have a refreshed Cabrera in tow, ready to give it his all as the push for home-field advantage in the Wild Card series intensifies.

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