Chicago Cubs: More of the same from Edward Cabrera in return

It had been a while since Cubs pitcher Edward Cabrera pitched in an MLB game, June 23rd to be exact. His return to the mound on Sunday afternoon did not go well, to say the least. Cabrera was charged with seven earned runs in 3.2 innings on six hits, three walks, and two strikeouts. Cubs fans saw the same movie they’ve seen before.

His season ERA now sits at 5.68 with a 5.19 FIP, 7.9 K/9 (career low), and 1.78 HR/9 (career high). His stuff has looked good, but the location and execution of the pitches simply have not been there. That is how Sunday’s and so many other starts can be summed up. Even in the ones he’s “grinded” through. It was also reported that a blister, which has also been a common theme for him, popped up yet again Sunday.

#Cubs Edward Cabrera says he had a right middle finger blister pop up today and that impacted his outing.

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) August 16, 2026

The question is, should he keep starting? Blister or no blister?

What to do about Edward Cabrera this year

Cabrera was acquired from the Marlins this Winter to be the “experienced guy with big stuff” in the rotation. Cabrera has had his ups and downs in his career, but he was a high-ceiling arm who has shown stretches of effectiveness. It was a gamble, and so far it has not paid off.

The thing is, as mentioned before, he has the stuff. There is some serious work to be done to iron out some of the kinks. Being under control, the Cubs could help him find his way, even if not until next season (if there is one). However, in the final stretch of an “all in” season, it’s harder to play around.

The Cubs organization has not been afraid to pull the trigger when things aren’t working. They have rotation options. It’s just a matter of how they want Cabrera to fit on this roster, even if they do remove him from the rotation for someone like David Peterson or Javier Assad. Being a reliever is risky too with his shaky command, unless it’s long relief and/or mop-up duty for the time being.

Regardless, they cannot mess around with Cabrera too much this year. He needs to find it and find it very fast to salvage anything. They are not (and shouldn’t) just going to get rid of him this season, but right now it’s hard to give him the ball every five days based on the season he’s had.

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