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The Cubs placed Edward Cabrera on the IL after blisters forced him to leave his start against the Brewers.

It was unclear what the next steps would be for Edward Cabrera and the Chicago Cubs. The right-hander exited his start against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 20 with a blister issue in his right middle finger.

The blister is enough of a problem that it will necessitate a stint on the injured list. Ahead of the series finale against the Houston Astros, Marquee Network’s Taylor McGregor reports that the Cubs have placed Cabrera on the 15-day injured list, back-dated to May 21. The team has recalled left-hander Jordan Wicks as the corresponding move.

The blister issue has bothered Cabrera this season, as manager Craig Counsell revealed to after the game. The team sought a remedy for the right-hander to complete his start. But after throwing one pitch in the fourth inning, a 92.5 MPH four-seamer that missed well above the strike zone, they immediately pulled him from the game.

Cubs Turn to Jordan Wicks to Replace Edward Cabrera in Rotation

Cabrera’s injury further depletes the Cubs rotation depth. While a blister injury isn’t necessarily a long-term injury, there have been IL stints that have lasted over a month. One such example came from Chicago’s division rival in Cincinnati, where left-hander Nick Lodolo missed the first five weeks of the season due to a recurring blister.

Cabrera’s spot will come up again on May 26. Roster Resource on FanGraphs currently projects Wicks to make that start. The left-hander last pitched on May 21 for Triple-A Iowa, which would put him on four days’ rest for that start.

The Cubs are hoping for Wicks to provide a stopgap while Cabrera’s blister heals. With Iowa, the left-hander has pitched to a 4.44 ERA with 20 strikeouts and 12 walks in 26.1 innings. He’s pitched well in his last two starts, allowing just one run in his last 11 innings with eight strikeouts and four walks.

The left-hander throws a five-pitch mix of a four-seamer, sinker, curveball, slider, and changeup. He also threw a sweeper in 2025, although he has not used that pitch this season. Wicks’ fastball averages just under 93 MPH and serves as his primary offering. He’ll rely on his breaking pitches to lefties and changeup to righties.

After a somewhat promising debut season, in which he recorded a 4.41 ERA in seven 2023 starts, the left-hander has struggled to stick. In 19 appearances since 2024, Wicks has a 5.67 ERA and 4.85 FIP over 60.1 innings.

The Cubs will trust Wicks to be a rotation stopgap for at least two turns, depending on how long Cabrera needs for the blister to heal enough to pitch.

Cubs Rotation Depth Further Depleted by Cabrera Injury

The Cubs have seen their rotation fall apart in 2026. They are without Cade Horton for the rest of the year, as Chicago’s young ace will undergo Tommy John surgery. Left-hander Justin Steele suffered a setback in his recovery from an internal brace procedure and is out indefinitely. Matthew Boyd is out until June as he rehabs from a meniscectomy.

That’s left them with a rotation of Shota Imanaga, Ben Brown, Jordan Wicks, Jameson Taillon, and Colin Rea. As the injuries to the rotation have mounted, Chicago has lost 11 of its last 13 games. They now sit 2.5 games behind the surging Brewers for the National League Central lead, while also having to deal with more competitive teams in their division from top to bottom.

The Cubs will get back Cabrera and Boyd before the All-Star break. That should help give them some breathing space until the trade deadline, when they can acquire a frontline starter.

Chicago was not one of the four teams named by USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale as a destination for Detroit Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal. Skubal would be owed $10 million for the team that acquires him, although the Cubs are already projected to cross over the first luxury tax threshold this season by Cot’s Contracts.