Chicago Cubs: Call-up Jordan Wicks to get the start on Tuesday

The Chicago Cubs are in rough shape and on the verge of spiraling to a point where there may be no return to the hopes they once had for postseason glory.

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Losers of their last eight in a row and twelve of their last fourteen, the team now finds itself in third place in the NL Central Division behind the rival Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals.

And, apparently, when it rains, it pours for the North Siders.

To go along with a mass of pitching injuries and an offense that is flatlining, starter Edward Cabrera was just placed on the 15-day IL with a blister issue that needs to be sorted out.

Jordan Wicks gets the start on Tuesday

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Coming up to replace Cabrera is Jordan Wicks who, himself, just barely returned from the IL for Triple-A Iowa. On a team that boasted its starting pitching depth prior to the start of the 2026 season, the lefty call-up pretty much represents the last man standing when it comes to possible rotation replacements right now.

According to Cubs beat writer Bruce Levine, the 26-year-old will get the start on Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Wicks has had three stabs at sticking on the major league roster since being brought into the organization—and has shown glimpses of quality stuff—but he has yet to show consistency in being able to deliver quality performances. Through 26 big league games (17 starts) and 95 innings, the Cubs’ 2021 no.1 draft pick has a combined 5.21 ERA. He’s currently posting a 4.44 ERA in seven starts for Triple-A Iowa, although his last two post-injury appearances have been gems (1 earned run in 11 innings).

The Cubs rotation has been decimated

For those keeping score, Chicago now has four of their projected top five starters on the IL, with serious question marks surrounding the return of three of them.

Cade Horton, of course, was done for this season and beyond after an elbow injury requiring surgery took him out in just his second start of the season. Matthew Boyd has had two IL stints this season and is currently on the shelf following surgery to repair a meniscus issue. Justin Steele, coming back from elbow surgery last year, has suffered a setback in his recovery and is back on the shelf. Now Cabrera, who came to the Cubs via high-profile offseason trade with the Miami Marlins, is out for a bit.

To make matters even worse, veteran starter Jameson Taillon has been miserable this year, currently ranking as the worst pitcher in MLB according to fWAR, and the once-dominant Shota Imanaga has now had two horrible starts in a row.

The Cubs’ current rotation of Imanaga, Taillon, Ben Brown, Colin Rea, and now Wicks is most definitely not a postseason crew, even if everyone turns things around and pitches to the best of their abilities.

Right now, though, with the trade deadline still over two months away and nobody but Javier Assad left to bring up from the minors, there’s nothing the Cubs can do but cross their fingers and hope Wicks plugs up one of the many rotation holes.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-jordan-wicks-start-pittsburgh-pirates/