Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season. |
CHICAGO -- There is still a long road to the postseason, and the Cubs plan on using the remaining weeks in the regular season to determine their best path forward with the starting rotation. After seeing the staff stripped thin by injuries earlier this summer, Chicago has solid depth at this specific moment in time. With hard-throwing righty Edward Cabrera back from the 15-day injured list -- he looked rusty in his first start back on Sunday against the Cardinals -- Cubs manager Craig Counsell had some decisions to make with the staff. First and foremost, Counsell felt sticking with a five-man rotation was the best approach to maintain a deeper bullpen right now. “I don’t think we’re bound to any of this,” Counsell said. “We’re bound to certainly one time through the rotation, but we’re not bound to any of it.” The five-man staff right now includes Cabrera, lefty Shota Imanaga, righty Kevin Gausman, righty Clay Holmes and lefty Matthew Boyd. When Gausman and Holmes were acquired ahead of the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, starters Colin Rea and Javier Assad were moved to the bullpen as multi-inning options. With Cabrera back, Counsell moved lefty David Peterson to relief as a length piece as well, joining Rea and righty Aaron Civale as arms capable of covering multiple innings. As for Assad, he was optioned to Triple-A Iowa, where he will stay stretched out. At Iowa, the Cubs also have lefty Braxton Garrett, who was picked up from the Marlins at the Deadline, too. |
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Cabrera lasted 3 2/3 innings in Sunday’s 11-4 loss and revealed after the game that he was dealing with a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand. He expressed optimism that he could take his next scheduled turn in the rotation, but it is worth noting that he landed on the IL in late May due to a similar setback.
Asked if Cabrera would make his next start as planned, Counsell replied: “We’re going to have to talk about that.”
Two pitchers who are on the IL with starting in their backgrounds are righty Ben Brown and lefty Justin Steele. They have both advanced to throwing off a mound, but they are not expected to be rotation reinforcements down the stretch. Brown thrived as a high-leverage, multi-inning reliever earlier in the season, and that could be an option once again for him in September and possibly in the playoffs. As for Steele, given that he has missed the bulk of two seasons after left elbow surgery, Chicago’s focus is to get him into game action before the end of the year. That means a Minor League rehab assignment, with any appearances for the Cubs viewed at this point as a potential bonus. When October rolls around, the Cubs again will have some things to consider. Without a true No. 1 starter in the rotation, Counsell and his staff can really weigh opponent matchups in playoff series and make starter decisions with that in mind. And with three lefties (Boyd, Imanaga and Peterson) and three righties (Gausman, Holmes and Cabrera), Chicago can also consider who could be ready behind a starter as a multi-inning reliever in a postseason setting. “We have so much talent,” Boyd said. “And as Craig says with the bullpen, our job is just to get outs. It’s the same way with the rotation. Obviously, when we get to where we want to go in October, that’s the main goal, is just to get 27 outs. It doesn’t matter how we get them. We’ve got guys that can do it. Our rotation kind of looks at that the same way. We’re excited to do what’s necessary.” |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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Nico Hoerner has stolen at least 20 bases in five consecutive seasons. Who was the last player to steal 20 or more bags in five straight years for the Cubs? A. Javier Báez B. Ivan De Jesus C. Corey Patterson D. Ryne Sandberg |
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For Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, Cubs rookie Pedro Ramírez was given the start at first base – a position he had not played professionally until a handful of innings at the position for Chicago this year. It is a way to gauge if the versatile Ramírez can be a legitimate backup to first baseman Michael Busch.
“Looking at this post-Trade Deadline,” Counsell said, “where we sit everywhere around the field, first base is a spot where we’re a little concerned about what’s next, if something happened to Michael. And we need to get somebody that, at a certain point of the season, is comfortable playing there, should a need arise.
“We needed to get someone at first base. A couple guys are not in the picture anymore, and we needed to have another first-base option. And Pedro has kind of emerged as somebody who could be it.”
The Cubs signed Tyler Austin to be a backup first baseman, but he has been on the IL all year after knee surgery. Another depth piece, Minor Leaguer Jonathon Long, was traded to Miami in the deal that landed Garrett. Matt Shaw, who got some action at first earlier this year, remains on the IL with a hand issue.
Both Shaw and Ramírez can play second and third base, while Shaw was also being used as an outfielder and part-time first baseman earlier in the year. The latter two spots are newer to Ramírez’s defensive portfolio.
“I fully anticipate Matt to be back,” Counsell said. “But I think Pedro has shown enough to us both in his work in a little bit of time over there [at first], and his aptitude for the game, that he can be an option. But it’s still new.” |
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D. Ryne Sandberg Sandberg stole at least 20 bases in seven consecutive seasons from 1982-88, and ended his Cubs career with nine such seasons overall. Hoerner is one of 15 players in Cubs history to have at least five seasons (not necessarily done consecutively) with 20 or more steals. |
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