The Edward Cabrera Situation Just Got Messier, What Will the Cubs Do?

The Edward Cabrera drama continues for the Chicago Cubs.

The recently-activated starting pitcher was handed back his rotation spot on Sunday. According to manager Craig Counsell, this meant that David Peterson would be headed to the bullpen for the time being. It felt like a slightly risky move by the team, particularly when we consider how smoothly the boat has been sailing in recent weeks for the Cubbies.

Peterson has been a stable part of a revamped rotation for the Cubs. While his first appearance after being acquired from the Mets led to a ghastly 10 runs, he has since held an ERA that sat just a smidge above 2.00. His ability to induce ground balls and limit the damage has been a welcome sight. Did some believe that a slight drop-off could be on the horizon? Sure, but Peterson had yet to give Counsell much reason for concern.

Meanwhile, Cabrera had a 5.10 ERA over his first 14 starts of the year. He was on and off the injury report and looked like a shell of the player the Cubs thought they were acquiring from Miami this offseason. To his credit, yes, the rehab assignments were promising. But promising enough to throw him right back into the fire after months of struggle?

We got our answer on Sunday.

With Shota Imanaga's start pushed back, Cabrera took the mound and had one of his worst starts yet. He forked over 7 earned runs to the St. Louis Cardinals in just 3.2 innings of action. He struck out only two batters, walked three, and repeatedly allowed hard contact. Of his 77 pitches, only 44 found the strike zone.

“It didn’t go well. I think the lack of swing and miss again is concerning," Counsell said after the game. "To me, the separation between the change up and the fastball right now, the hitter is not showing you that it’s a lot. So the change-up kind of acts as a sinker sometimes, but not to the point where he can get the swing and miss on it, or the fastball. So he’s going to need that at some point. We’re going to have to work to get that back.”

On the one hand, you can give Cabrera some grace after over a month off from MLB action. On the other hand, now isn't the time to let someone iron out the kinks. Sunday's loss meant losing ground on the Brewers and the top spot in the NL Central. This is the time of year when you need to begin playing your best baseball. And Cabrera, unfortunately, hasn't looked up to the challenge in a starting role.

This is likely why, one day after making the rotation change, Counsell couldn't help but admit that another one may be on the horizon. According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, Counsell was "noncommittal" when it came to Cabrera making his next scheduled start.

It also isn't hard to imagine that Cabrera broke a level of trust on Sunday. Indeed, as frustrating as Cabrera's lack of production has been, it only got more frustrating when news dropped that he hid a blister from Counsell and Company after the game.

Bruce Levine of 104.3 The Score said Cabrera started to feel the blister coming on during his outing. He did not share this information with anyone until he was eventually pulled from the game. Cabrera also admitted after the performance that he believes it impacted his production.

While it's a tad comforting that he can point to a specific problem, it's still not a good look that he refused to inform the team about it until after 7 earned runs were given up. And, even then, it's hard to imagine this was solely responsible for Cabrera looking as off as he did.

Where do the Cubs Go From Here?

Aug 16, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Edward Cabrera (30) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

So, are we doing to see ANOTHER rotation change by Craig Counsell in the coming days?

While it wouldn't necessarily be shocking if the Cubs gave Edward Cabrera one last blister-free chance, Sunday is hard to bounce back from. It sure feels like we might see David Peterson skip in this rotational run and return to a starting role later this week. Cabrera can then transition to the bullpen, where the Cubs can more easily monitor his role and playing time.

This itself could be a risk, considering Cabrera has never been in a relief role in the past. There is also no denying he has some of the best stuff on the team. When he is right, his movement can be dominant. The problem, however, is that he simply hasn't been right, and there are no signs that he will be right any time soon.

A move to the bullpen could be one last way to see if Cabrera can lock back in. The good news is that the Cubs have at least put themselves in a position to have multiple rotational options come playoff time. The bad news is that Cabrera was supposed to be one of them, and the odds of that happening officially feel extremely low.

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