If the Cubs Plan to Be Buyers, They're Now on the Clock After Taillon Injury News

The Chicago Cubs' downward spiral has reached maximum velocity.

As if losing to the worst team in baseball 7-3 didn't sting enough, the Cubs also announced on Tuesday that their pitching staff has faced another major injury. Jameson Taillon was forced to exit his last start on Sunday night with a hamstring problem. Manager Craig Counsell proceeded to call it a "moderate" injury and state that his projected return would not be until after the All-Star break.

In other words, the Cubs will be without another rotation staple for over a month. The organization is already without both Cade Horton and Justin Steele. The former pitched in only two games before needing Tommy John surgery. The latter has yet to make his 2026 debut after suffering a setback in his recovery.

Meanwhile, Matthew Boyd has experienced an extended stint on the IL due to a meniscus procedure. Edward Cabrera has also missed recent starts after a finger injury. And don't even get me started on the bullpen!

The good news is that both Cabrera and Boyd are now ready to reclaim their spots in the rotation. To be frank, Taillon was also proving to be a liability at times due to his sky-high home run count. He leads the league with 20 given up this season. And yet, losing a starter for an extended period is never preferred, particularly when they do have as much experience as Taillon.

It really begs the question: How much more can the Cubs take? This is a team that now sits one game out from a .500 record. They have gone a mere 3-7 in their last ten games, and they have now recorded the third-worst batting average in baseball over the last month. There has been a lot of talk about the move this Cubs squad could make at the trade deadline, but can they really afford to wait that long to do something about this unexpectedly disastrous season?

It Might Be Now or Never for the Cubs ...

May 16, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon (50) looks on after Chicago White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery (12) hit a home run during the third inning at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images

It was easy to brush off the trade talk in early May. The Cubs were putting together their second ten-game winning streak and playing like a true World Series threat. Were there pitching injuries to worry about? Sure, but they were finding short-term solutions and still winning plenty of ball games. No need to jump the gun.

Fast forward to today, and they are now on the outside looking in of the postseason picture and just 1.5 games out of last place in the NL Central. To be clear, yes, there is still time for the Cubs to turn things around and tap back into some of their early-season magic. But there is also no guarantee that it will happen, especially as key players continue to drop like flies.

The time is now for Jed Hoyer to decide who he wants to be this season. Even if the Cubs can piece together a rotation without Taillon over the next handful of weeks, does anyone believe it will be good enough to carry them out of this funk? The longer the Cubs hang around the .500 threshold, the harder it's going to be to make a late-season surge. As we all know, this is the time of year when teams finally start to separate themselves from the pack.

Especially when we look at the upcoming schedule, there remains a big-time opportunity for the Cubs to re-enter the mix. After the next two against Colorado, they get the 27-win Giants, another three-game set with the Rockies, the iffy Blue Jays, and four games against the Mets. We're talking 15 straight against sub-.500 teams, before a pair of crucial series against the Brewers and Cardinals sandwiches a Padres matchup.

Could someone convince themselves that this easy stretch is reason not to panic? They could try. But this is the same Cubs squad that just lost two to the Giants and one to the Rockies. This pre-existing group hasn't given anyone reason to believe they can solve the problem on their own.

Simply put, if the Cubs are planning to make a move, they have to make it before it's too late. The last thing anyone wants is for them to push their chips in, only to still fall flat on their face after the deadline. Could that still happen if they strike a deal this early? Sure, but at least they have a longer runway to get back on track.

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