What Jose Cabrera's Strange Start vs Rays Really Means for D-backs

The Arizona Diamondbacks' rotational dilemma isn't going away any time soon, so Jose Cabrera will have to find a way to stay consistent.

Cabrera made his MLB debut in successful fashion, throwing five scoreless, efficient innings against the Minnesota Twins.

His most recent start — on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field — was a bit different.

Diamondbacks' Jose Cabrera throws uneven start

Jun 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jose Cabrera in the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Cabrera threw five innings, and looked mostly strong, but his box score was not too friendly when looked at in a vacuum. Cabrera was charged for four earned runs, giving up seven hits — including two critical home runs — and two walks in the process. He struck out four Rays batters.

The first of Cabrera's home runs was understandable. Junior Caminero, who has been one of the hottest hitters in the sport, crushed a pitch that was not all that poorly-placed on the inside portion of the zone to tie the game at 1-1 in the first inning.

Cabrera was able to work his way out of traffic for the most part following that. However, with two outs in the fifth inning he issued a walk to Yandy Diaz, and gave up a two-run homer on the first pitch to Jonathan Aranda on a sweeper breaking in to the left-handed hitter. Suddenly, it was 3-1.

Cabrera fell victim to a pair of well-placed bunt singles in the sixth, and was taken out for Juan Morillo, who allowed one of the inherited runners to score on a sacrifice fly.

On the whole, Cabrera looked similar to how he fared against Minnesota — confident, and with sneaky-good stuff. Strangely, he was able to work efficiently and even, at times, dominate the Rays' hitters in the middle innings. If not for the ill-timed mistakes, it might have been an elite outing.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to earn a win, but what Cabrera is doing is still worth keeping around in the current state of need.

Diamondbacks need perfect outings by starters

Jun 21, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jose Cabrera reacts as he walks off the field after being pulled from the game in the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Diamondbacks are missing Ryne Nelson and Michael Soroka, who will be on the IL for weeks, not days. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly have continued to put forward poor results. Corbin Burnes won't be back by the All-Star break, Brandon Pfaadt is still working his way back, and Mitch Bratt is a question mark.

The truth is, the D-backs need to fill two spots in their rotation on a semi-permanent basis. They don't need those two spots to be filled by ace-level starters, but there needs to be some level of stability present.

At the very least, Cabrera has not yet allowed a game to get truly out of hand, and his arsenal lends itself to being a balanced, sturdy arm.

It's far too early to declare Cabrera a permanent MLB solution, but as it stands, he didn't need to come up and blow anyone away to at least earn a few more turns while awaiting the health of Arizona's other arms.

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