The Chicago Cubs were fortunate that every other team in the hunt for a National League Wild Card spot also lost on Tuesday. Otherwise, the team’s frustrating 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves would’ve been a really tough blow.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Counsell deflects blame amid bullpen apocalypse

As things stand right now, the Cubs are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies when it comes to the top NL Wild Card seed and, more important, the right to host the Wild Card series. The San Diego Padres, meanwhile, are just 1.5 games behind the Cubs with ten games to go in the regular season.

With the tight race in mind, this will be “all hands on deck” time for the Cubs, across the board.

For the offense, being present and productive is especially important considering the team’s pitching problems.

That’s why the return of Dansby Swanson is taking on an extra degree of importance.

The veteran shortstop went on the IL August 17 with a left oblique strain and was to begin his rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, with the goal being two games played and then a return to the main Cubs roster by this weekend for the Cincinnati Reds series.

Revised plans for Dansby Swanson

More News: Chicago Cubs: Pete Crow-Armstrong, now a lock for MVP honors

A rainout for the Iowa Cubs is forcing a change of plan.

“The weather’s not cooperating,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters on Tuesday.

“We’ll just have to make a decision and go from there,” Counsell said. “Obviously, the plans are going to get changed. He’s unlikely to play two games, so we’ll figure that out.”

Counsell hinted at the possibility of just one rehab game for Swanson before a return to the majors, but that decision could depend on what he sees in that one game.

Whatever the case, the Cubs would like to have Swanson and his elite glove back on the field for what will amount to a crucial stretch of games. They could also use his bat.

The importance of having Dansby

A notoriously streaky hitter, Swanson can carry the team when he’s hot and is still a significant longball threat, even when slumping.

In his absence, Nico Hoerner has moved over from second to shortstop with rookie Pedro Ramirez taking the second base spot more often than not. Hoerner has done a tremendous job filling in and Ramirez has been solid, but there’s just something extra special about the Swanson-Hoerner tandem.

“Shortstops that [hit 20 homers and drive in 80 runs in a season] and play Gold Glove defense don’t really just grow on trees, you know?” Hoerner said back in July. “He’s a star for a reason.”

Outfielder Michael Conforto shares Hoerner’s admiration of Swanson.

“Dansby’s been the same every single day,” Conforto told media, also back in July, amid a Swanson hot streak. “That’s what real leaders do. He’s that steady presence for us, and he deserves every bit of what’s coming to him because he works his butt off.”

On the season, Swanson is hitting just .216, but he has 18 home runs and 66 RBIs with an OPS of .704 through 119 games.

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The Chicago Cubs bullpen did it again. They snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, inheriting a lead late in the game only to blow it in a most spectacularly awful way.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Pete Crow-Armstrong, now a lock for MVP honors

On Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, the Cubs had a 3-0 lead heading into the sixth. A two-run home run off starter Kevin Gausman brought manager Craig Counsell out with the hook and the bullpen in for the great big fail.

Daniel Palencia, who came in to close out the sixth, was decent enough. But then Jacob Webb was brought in.

Webb gets blasted, again

More News: Chicago Cubs facing Phillies grab for prized free agent star

The veteran right-hander gave up the lead in the seventh which, ultimately, gave up the game. In two-thirds of an inning, Webb allowed two earned runs—via a two-run blast by Ozzie Albies—in yet another poor showing down this closing stretch of the season. Over his last 8 appearances, the 33-year-old has given up 11 earned runs and has allowed 4 home runs in 6.2 innings. During this stretch, where he’s posted an ugly 14.85 ERA, he also set a dubious MLB record for being the only pitcher to allow a game-tying or go-ahead homer with two outs in the ninth in three straight save opportunities since saves became official in 1969.

The recently activated Edward Cabrera, converted to a reliever after an injury and inconsistency-wracked debut season with the Cubs, would salt the earth behind Webb. He gave up a two-run home run in the ninth—the Braves’ third of the day—making sure the game was far out of reach, 6-3, against a tough Braves bullpen.

After the game, Counsell would seemingly make a concerted effort not to single out the bullpen for scorn.

“We got to put together 27 outs,” Counsell told reporters. “We got to score runs. I’m going to tell you that again: We got to score more runs. But, yeah, we got to get guys pitching well. And we got to have guys that we can count on. Multiple guys that we can count on. We’re not going to survive if we don’t have multiple guys we can count on.”

“We need everybody,” Counsell continued. “We need to talk about a lot of names every night to help us win games. It’s not just the bullpen. Everybody’s got responsibility.”

Nobody is coming to the rescue

And, yeah, all of that is true—to an extent.

The Cubs have the best offense in baseball and they’re also fielding the best defense in baseball. Their starting pitching hasn’t been great, but more often than not it’s been solid enough to put the team in a good spot to win a game. On Tuesday, for example, Gausman allowed two earned runs through 5.2 innings, which should’ve been good enough to get Chicago a win.

The scary part when it comes to the team’s postseason chances is that it looks like there won’t be a cavalry riding in to save the bullpen. Shelby Miller was just shut down for the season, Justin Steele may be right behind Miller. Meanwhile, Cabrera bombed out in his first stab at bullpen duty.

So, Chicago will ride or die with what they have right now in the pen. That doesn’t exactly instill confidence.

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It’s an exciting time to be a Chicago sports fan. While the Chicago Cubs and White Sox are both in playoff races, the Chicago Bears have kicked off their season. The Bears got the season off to a good start with a huge performance from Caleb Williams and the offense. While he’s doing that, his close friend Pete Crow-Armstrong is wrapping up an MVP season for the Cubs.

The two have developed a close relationship over the past few years which has also included Matas Buzelis , Connor Bedard and now, Caleb Wilson. That’s a lot of star power in a friend group and it has Chicago fans confident in future success for their teams.

But they have bigger plans as Crow-Armstrong recently said.

Pete Crow-Armstrong says he and Caleb Williams want to build something special

With the Cubs in a playoff push, every series matters here down the stretch. Following a big game on Monday in a win over the Atlanta Braves, Crow-Armstrong was asked about his friendship with Williams.

“It’s cool that people appreciate us being friends,” Crow-Armstrong said. “That’s where it all really stems from. We’ve definitely talked about what we want to build here together. That all stems from genuine appreciation of each other’s abilites and craft and how we make stuff happen. It’s agreed upon by all of us that we want to give people something to look forward to.”

Pete Crow-Armstrong on his friendship with Caleb Williams and the new era of Chicago sports: "We've definitely talked about what we want to build here … it's agreed upon by all of us that we want to give people something to look forward to." pic.twitter.com/JWUs5wy9aa

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 15, 2026

Crow-Armstrong and Williams were spotted supporting Bedard back in January, sitting on the glass for a Blackhawks game. Recently, it was PCA who received the support as  Williams, Wilson, Buzelis and Cole Bennett sat behind the Cubs dugout. They celebrated as PCA hit a big home run in the game.

Right now, it feels like a very cool era of Chicago Sports with young stars. Let’s hope they can turn that into some championships for the city.

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The Chicago Cubs are still battling for a playoff spot with eleven games left in the regular season.

As things stand right now, they are a half-game up on the Philadelphia Phillies at the top of the National League Wild Card standings and 1.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres, who have the third Wild Card seed.

More News: Chicago Cubs facing Phillies grab for prized free agent star

If/when they do clinch a playoff berth, though, they will have to rely heavily on their top-rated offense to compensate for a pitching staff that has been inconsistent at best and horrible, at worst.

Leading the way for the Cubs offense, of course, is Pete Crow-Armstrong.

PCA’s all-time great season

More News: Chicago Cubs: How Bregman got his groove back

The 24-year-old center fielder is in the midst of a monster season that has reached historical heights. Various feats throughout the year have already pushed his name into the rarefied air reserved for some of the sport’s most legendary names.

His 2026 is already putting him near the top of all-time great Cubs seasons, giving him a legitimate shot at surpassing Rogers Hornsby’s fWAR of 11.0 in 1929. In Monday’s game against the Atlanta Braves, he hit home run number 42, tying him with Billy Williams for the franchise’s home run record from a left-handed hitter.

In terms of present tense greatness, PCA has become the most potent multi-faceted position player in the game, posting 42 home runs, 102 RBIs, and 37 stolen bases—all while playing Gold Glove-level center field.

As of this writing, he’s No. 1 in runs (112), No. 5 in hits (164), No. 6 in triples (7), No. 2 in home runs (42), No. 3 in RBI (102), No.5 in stolen bases (37), No. 11 in on base percentage (.374), No. 2 in slugging (.571), No. 2 in OPS (.945), and No. 1 in WAR (9.3).

M-V-Pete

He’s also being considered a lock to take home the NL MVP award.

Per Jesse Yomtov of USA Today:

“The Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong will certainly dethrone Shohei Ohtani for the NL MVP award, snapping Ohtani’s three-year reign that dates back to his final season with the Los Angeles Angels.

With Shohei Ohtani injured this summer, PCA has locked this up as he closes in on the seventh 40-40 season in MLB history. The 24-year-old is putting together one of the greatest years ever, with a 9.3 fWAR while leading the National League in slugging and OPS.”

During this past offseason, Crow-Armstrong inked a 6-year, $115 million contract extension that will keep him in Chicago through the 2032 season. Locked in and secure, he would then get to work on the finer points of his game.

His sudden patience and discipline at the plate is being credited for kicking the rest of his offensive game into high gear. A newfound discerning eye has resulted in him getting better pitches to hit—something he’s fully taken advantage of.

No matter what happens the rest of the way, 2026 will go down as an absolutely stellar season for the young talent—one that ranks among the very best of all-time.

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As the Chicago Cubs continue to move towards a playoff run, it’s looking more and more likely that they could meet National League Wild Card rivals, the Philadelphia Phillies, at some point in the playoffs.

More News: Chicago Cubs: How Bregman got his groove back

But they could also be in competition with the Phillies after the postseason as well.

Philadelphia could be an aggressive suitor for Cubs free agent outfielder Seiya Suzuki.

The 32-year-old right fielder will be eligible for free agency at the end of this season and he’ll be looking for a deal considerably larger than the 5-year, $85 million contract given to him by the Cubs when he first broke into the majors in 2022.

Suzuki will be highly desired

More News: Chicago Cubs offer intriguing update on Justin Steele

In a weaker free agent market—and in the shadows of a looming labor dispute that could kill off a good chunk of the coming season—the Japanese star could find himself near the top of the list of attractive free agent position player buys.

For the Phillies, especially, the appeal of adding an established right-hand bat to their lefty-dominated lineup may nudge them towards spending in excess of Suzuki’s projected 4-year, $100 million asking price.

Brandon Glick of TBOH, a Phillies blog, recently laid out the case for Philadelphia grabbing Suzuki:

“Over the past four seasons, he’s hit .272/.353/.485 with a 131 wRC+, good for 13.3 fWAR. By that last metric, Suzuki has been the 12th-best outfielder in all of baseball in that span, only trailing a ridiculous list of names that includes Aaron Judge, Juan Soto, Pete-Crow Armstrong, and other modern luminaries.

For good measure, he’s also suddenly morphed into a Gold Glove contender this year, providing the Cubs with +8 Fielding Run Value and +14 Defensive Runs Saved from right field. Add on the fact that he historically crushes left-handed pitching — his career wRC+ against southpaws is 139 — and is hitting .305/.359/.407 in 14 career games at Citizens Bank Park, and he basically looks like the perfect fit for the Phillies this offseason.

…He would immediately slot between Schwarber, Harper, and Trea Turner atop the lineup, finally giving the team the right-handed slugger they’ve spent years searching for.”

Putting the Cubs in a tough spot

An aggressive Phillies grab at Suzuki will put the Cubs in a tough position.

Chicago is already facing a dilemma with their two corner outfielders—Suzuki and left fielder Ian Happ—hitting the free agent market. Replacing both, whether in-house or from the outside, would be tough, so the general consensus is that they’ll work to re-sign one of their potentially outbound outfielders. Most assume that they’d choose Suzuki over Happ if they could only re-sign one.

But keeping Suzuki will cost them dearly, especially if the free-spending Phillies are aggressively pursuing him. It’s very likely that the Cubs could lose out on Suzuki in a long, drawn-out bidding war and also lose out on Happ as he signs elsewhere while the battle for Suzuki rages.

Then, Chicago would be in a truly tough spot, having to rely on Matt Shaw in left and Kevin Alcantara in right as their 2027 every day corner outfielders.

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As the final stretch of the regular season plays out, the Chicago Cubs know exactly where they stand. They’re looking to earn the top Wild Card spot, guaranteeing home-field advantage for at least the first round of the playoffs.

With a 10-game lead, the Milwaukee Brewers have essentially locked up another NL Central crown. But holding an 83-67 record, the Cubs sit in the top spot in the Wild Card race. While they share a record with the Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago holds the tiebreaker.

That remains true against the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, who occupy the two spots below the Phillies, as well. Essentially, the Cubs can control their destiny to the top Wild Card spot. But they know it won’t be easy.

For starting pitcher Matt Boyd, earning home-field advantage is a near must. He knows the benefits the Cubs get playing in front of their own fans at Wrigley Field.

Matthew Boyd itching for Cubs home-field advantage

The Cubs have nearly identical records home and away in 2026, with only three more wins at Wrigley Field. But come playoff time, Boyd understands the atmosphere in the air. He wants to hear the roar of the Chicago crowd when it matters most, via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

“Every time that you get to play at Wrigley, it’s a huge advantage,” Boyd said. “We have amazing fans. It’s an amazing atmosphere any day, but in the playoffs, it was an amazing opportunity that we had. The atmosphere, it was so fun to play in front of. Any baseball that we get to have here, it matters, in a good way. We want to have it.”

“It’s our job to play our best baseball,” he continued, “attack every facet of it, all aspects of our game. The opponent doesn’t matter. It’s the big leagues. Everybody’s good. You focus on you. Really, it’s a time to double down on that.”

While has been limited by injuries in 2026, the Cubs know Boyd is still a crucial contributor out of the rotation. In turn, the left-hander plans to do everything in his power to help Chicago reach new heights.

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As recently as July 10, many—if not most—Chicago Cubs fans were decrying the 5-year, $175 million contract given to third baseman Alex Bregman over the offseason. And, really, they weren’t wrong in their complaints.

More News: Chicago Cubs offer intriguing update on Justin Steele

The 32-year-old three-time All-Star was slashing .235/.333/.338 with an OPS of .670 and only 7 home runs. The numbers weren’t obscenely awful, but they sure didn’t represent the kind of impact a signing of that magnitude was supposed to generate.

Bregman, himself, was down on Bregman. The former Red Sox and Astros star poured over his old video, looking back as far as his early days in the minors to find some angle to build upon. The veteran is well-known as a perfectionist when it comes to his technique and is said to be downright obsessive in working on even the most minute of details.

But, obviously, this attention to detail has paid off.

Since July 11, Bregman is hitting .312 with 18 home runs and 49 RBIs. His wRC+, which measures a hitter’s total offensive value and how many runs they create per plate appearance, is 180—14 points above anyone else’s in baseball.

How Breggy got his groove back

More News: Chicago Cubs: Cabrera gets make-or-break gut check in new bullpen role

The thing that clicked for Bregman was the change of mindset from hyper-focusing on the fails in the here and now to just working on positive change.

“Probably like June, I decided that I don’t really care what my numbers look like,” Bregman told The Athletic. “I care about fixing my mechanics for the rest of my career. I feel like that mentality allows you not to chase hitting seven homers in one at-bat. It allows you to take one at-bat at a time and try and win the next pitch, win the next at-bat.”

“The most important thing for me over the last few months has been the work in the cage,” Bregman added. “The attention to detail of, am I loading correctly? Am I making a good move to hit? I know that if I’m doing that before the game, I’m going to do it in a game.”

Bregman is killing it

On the year, the third baseman is already beyond the power numbers most reasonably expected from him. Currently at 25 homers, he’s one away from his 2024 total tally which, in turn, was the most he had since 2019. His 84 RBIs is the most he’s posted since 2023. And through the early struggles and these latest successes, he’s played elite-level defense at the hot corner and is living up to his rep as a clubhouse leader.

Where there was once loud lamenting from Cubs fandom over four more years of an aging Bregman on the roster, there’s now appreciation and optimism about the immediate future at third base.

The reality is that the Cubs might desperately need their MLB-best offense to get deep into the playoffs if the pitching doesn’t get consistent and stay consistent.

But regardless of what happens in the postseason, Bregman is turning out to be an even better version of himself than anticipated.

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The Chicago Cubs have been besieged by pitching injuries all season. In a lot of ways, it’s a minor miracle that the team didn’t just fold and give everyone a great big “wait ‘til next year.”

More News: Chicago Cubs: Cabrera gets make-or-break gut check in new bullpen role

Aside from losing emerging ace Cade Horton for the season after just two starts, the team has also suffered through two IL stints apiece from Matthew Boyd, Edward Cabrera, and closer Daniel Palencia while watching injury shut down the seasons of breakthrough asset Ben Brown, Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, Riley Martin, and, at least indirectly, Hoby Milner.

Then, of course, you have to throw in the non-comeback of Justin Steele.

The 31-year-old, who had become Chicago’s ace and one of the most reliable starting pitchers in all of baseball, underwent elbow surgery in April of last year and was actually ahead of schedule with his rehab as the 2026 season began. There was some serious talk that the southpaw could be back at his rotation gig as early as late-May or mid-June.

But then Steele suffered a left elbow flexor strain in April, which saw him get shut down for an entire month. When he was allowed to pick up a ball again, the team was very cautious and deliberate with what he was allowed to do.

He’s now, however, three outings into a rehab assignment in Iowa and the unavoidable “when will he come back” talk has been flying.

The Cubs have already killed off any idea of Steele returning to the rotation this year, but they’ve left open the possibility of a bullpen role. And despite a 6.35 ERA through 5.2 innings in Triple-A, his return is a really appealing option for a bullpen that has given off a bad, near-collapse, vibe at various points in the late-season.

A Justin Steele update

More News: Chicago Cubs bullpen strikes back with noteworthy scoreless inning streak

Over the weekend, there was an update on just where Steele stands in his recovery.

Per Jared Wyllys of CHGO Sports:

“Counsell said Justin Steele will be in Chicago Sunday to throw a bullpen in front of the pitching coaches here.

From there, he’ll have at least one more outing with Triple-A Iowa.”

With two weeks left in the regular season, time is running out on the safe reintegration of the former ace. Even the most minor of setbacks would probably push his comeback to 2027.

In a perfect world…

As far back as the end of July, though, Steele said that he was throwing with no pain.

‘‘Obviously, I want to be back,’’ he told reporters at the time. ‘‘Front office, the pitching coaches, the team — everybody wants me back. But you don’t want to rush it to the point where you do get back into games and you’re one or two outings in and you start to feel the soreness starting to creep back in. Then you’re kind of turning the clock back at that point.’’

‘‘Everything feels good,’’ he added. ‘‘Fastball, sinker, slider, curveball — everything’s there.’’

In a perfect world, Steele gets sharp, bringing his bulldog attitude and field-level leadership to the Cubs bullpen in time for the playoffs and to assume the role of key lefty reliever. But as we’ve seen throughout this season, a perfect world is rarely in the cards.

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Last postseason, Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch made history by becoming the first player to hit two leadoff home runs in the same playoff series. He went deep in Games 1 and 3 against the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Division Series, finishing the postseason with four home runs overall as he homered once more against the Brewers had another long ball previously in the Wild Card Series against the San Diego Padres.

At the time, that standout postseason performance perfectly encapsulated Busch’s 2025 season. The left-handed slugger belted 34 home runs, 25 doubles and 90 RBI while posting an impressive .866 OPS. Between that breakout regular season and his postseason heroics, expectations were understandably high heading into 2026.

Unfortunately for Busch, he hasn’t quite lived up to those expectations, particularly when it comes to power and run production. Through September 13, he has 19 home runs, 27 doubles and 76 RBI while posting a .742 OPS. His batting average has also dipped to .239 after hitting .261 a year ago. However, Busch has made up for some of that offensive decline by showing improved plate discipline, drawing 82 walks this season compared to just 56 in 2025.

That said, Busch has gotten off to a strong start in September, and rediscovering his power stroke at this point in the season could provide a major boost for the Cubs as they continue their push for the top Wild Card spot.

Chicago Cubs’ first baseman Michael Busch is off to a strong start in the month of September

Aside from May, when Busch posted a .300/.446/.510 slash line with four home runs, seven doubles and 24 RBI, he has struggled to produce a slugging percentage above .400 and match the offensive impact he provided a year ago. However, that narrative is beginning to change in September.

As of September 14, Busch owns a .463 slugging percentage through 12 games, with five extra-base hits and eight RBI. From September 8-12, he recorded at least one RBI in four consecutive games, including a three-RBI performance Friday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Already nearly matching his August RBI total of 10, Busch is on pace to put together his best month in quite some time.

A resurgence like that would be a welcome sight for the Cubs as the games carry more weight down the stretch. Furthermore, Busch has already shown that he can be a difference-maker when the lights are brightest, making a return to peak form especially valuable for the Cubs as they head toward the postseason.

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When the Chicago Cubs traded for Edward Cabrera from the Miami Marlins, the thought was that they’d be adding a powerhouse righty to their starting rotation, just as he was about to emerge as a real major league impact arm.

More News: Chicago Cubs bullpen strikes back with noteworthy scoreless inning streak

That’s why they were willing to give up their no. 1 prospect Owen Caissie, their no. 11 prospect Cristian Hernandez, and young infield talent Edgardo De Leon.

But things certainly haven’t gone as planned.

The 28-year-old Cabrera has had two stints on the IL—hamstring and finger blister—which have limited him to just 15 starts on the year. And even when healthy, his numbers have been bad. Through those 15 games, he’s posted a 5.68 ERA over 76 innings.

Cabrera’s move to the bullpen

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In this latest return from the injured list, Cabrera is being moved to the bullpen. The move is equal parts due to the need for a power arm in a struggling bullpen and the concern that his blister issues are coming from longer outings. In the meantime, while the Cubs figure things out, they want to see what impact he can have in relief.

Lots of people—at least outside the organization—have soured on Cabrera, though. Some have questioned his mental toughness, especially when it comes to his most recent blister, which they feel was more of a crutch to justify poor performance rather than actual injury.

Whatever the case, Cabrera will remain part of the team. He’ll also definitely get a serious gut check in the bullpen.

Baptism by fire

“It’s a hard thing, being a reliever, especially this time of the year,” said Clay Holmes, who was an All-Star closer for the New York Yankees before converting to a starter. “You do your job 40 times, and it’s just expected. And then when you’re not perfect a couple times, it’s easy to feel like the world’s spinning and hear a lot of voices, people telling you this and that.

“It’s really tough to keep believing what you’re doing in those moments. There’s going to be some rough patches. You got to believe that things will level out.”

Manager Craig Counsell is anticipating some pains growing into a reliever role, especially as the Cubs make their way to postseason play.

“When you get to this time of year, we have to accept some discomfort,” Counsell told The Athletic. “Clayton Kershaw closed out a playoff series. That’s how it works. You have to do things that you’re not used to doing if you want to do great things.”

For what it’s worth, Cabrera is saying all the right things ahead of his bullpen debut.

“This is all new to me, but I’ll be out there ready for any situation,” Cabrera said via interpreter. “Whenever they call my name, I’m going to be ready for anything…

“I see this as another opportunity. My mentality is 100 percent positive.”

How well Cabrera responds to this late-season gut check could determine what the rest of his Cubs run will look like. If he falls here and now, there may be no getting up in Chicago.

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The Chicago Cubs are making their way to the postseason, but getting there hasn’t been as simple as previously expected.

More News: Chicago Cubs will re-sign two free agent stars, let everyone else walk, analyst says

The team is now one game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies in the pursuit of the top National League Wild Card spot. They’re also 2.5 games ahead of the San Diego Padres, who currently have the third Wild Card seed. With 13 games to go in the regular season, it’s safe to assume that the Cubs will land a spot somewhere in the playoffs—unless there’s some crazy collapse.

Very recently, it looked as though that crazy collapse was happening, courtesy of a bullpen that appeared to be in full-on collapse mode.

Panic was already setting in among the fans as nobody in the Cubs’ pen seemed to be able to close the doors. The struggles of co-closers Jacob Webb and Daniel Palencia were especially troubling as both seemed absolutely lost.

Cubs bullpen turnaround

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But these last few games have given everyone hope that things can turn around—and that they, indeed, may be turning around.

Over the last three games, the Cubs bullpen has delivered 10.1 scoreless innings, allowing 4 hits and 2 walks sprinkled over that span.

Saturday’s 4-3 come-from-behind victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates perfectly capped off this quality run.

The showing by Jacob Webb, who threw 1.1 scoreless, was an especially positive development.

The veteran righty had worked his way into becoming the team’s de facto closer after the injuries of Daniel Palencia, but posted a horrendous 17.34 ERA over his previous 6 outings and was making “I’m tired of letting the team down” statements to the media.

A high-stress Webb rebirth

The idea was to get Webb back into the mix and slowly boost his confidence ahead of the playoffs, but situations had forced manager Craig Counsell into using him in a high-stress moment in relief of Clay Holmes—with two outs in the sixth, the bases loaded, and the Pirates on the verge of breaking the game wide open.

Webb closed out the inning, however, and then went on to pitch a scoreless seventh.

“To be honest,” Counsell told reporters after the game, “it wasn’t the ideal situation I wanted to put him in for his next appearance. … I’m really happy for Jacob. He pitched great — earned it today.”

“What Webby did today was huge,” Holmes also said. “That was probably the game there. That gave us the chance to come back and win.”

After Webb, lefty Ryan Rolison pitched an inning and two-thirds and Ryan Zeferjahn closed things out with a third of an inning.

“The bullpen held it down,” Webb said. “That’s what we need to be doing every time. I know it doesn’t work like that, but I think we have a really good bullpen down there, and the guys are going to keep putting up zeros.”

All in all, Saturday was an example of how a healthy Cubs bullpen could look. Edward Cabrera joining the pen may or may not pan out, but the relief corps now has some forward momentum and is working with the confidence of having turned things around, at least for a few games.

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The Chicago Cubs were favored to win the NL Central Division this season and there was plenty of reason to think that would happen.

More News: Chicago Cubs bullpen hopes: 4 long-shot fixes ahead of playoffs

They had added three-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman via free agency. They traded for emerging powerhouse starter Edward Cabrera. They even rebuilt their bullpen, signing four veteran free agent relievers. They were also poised to get a full season from 24-year-old rotation phenom Cade Horton and benefit from the return of rehabbed ace Justin Steele.

Things, of course, didn’t go entirely as planned. Actually, of the above list of expected positives, only Bregman worked out.

As things currently stand, the Cubs are in a dogfight with the Philadelphia Phillies for the top NL Wild Card seed and are also fending off the advances of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild Card race.

Half the roster, gone?

More News: Chicago Cubs: A team of extremes with some pressing issues to address

Then, no matter what happens the rest of this season, they’ll have some major roster decisions to make as a good chunk of the team will be eligible for free agency. Of the current active roster, more than half of the team could be gone by the start of the 2027 season.

Of those possible losses, there are several key veteran components—such as Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Kevin Gausman, among others—that could be leaving.

Fielding a winning team will be tough with so many roster spots to fill, so it’s expected that the Chicago front office will try to re-sign at least a few of their potentially outbound assets.

Who will they keep?

Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report is predicting that the Cubs will hold on to at least two of their stars—right fielder Seiya Suzuki and catcher Carson Kelly.

Per Reuter:

“The Cubs have some decisions to make with Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ both ticketed for free agency, along with catcher Carson Kelly’s mutual option. The safe bet right now is that they will retain one, but not both, of those outfielders, while also working out a new two-year pact to keep Kelly around.”

Finding two new every day corner outfielders on a team deep into “win now” mode would be tough. So, it’s widely expected that the Cubs will move to re-sign either Suzuki or Happ. But given that Suzuki is just far superior offensively—and that he’s become a spark plug for the team’s offense—the choice between the two outfielders should be fairly straightforward.

At catcher, the team is also facing the reality that they may not have a full-time replacement for Kelly at the moment. Miguel Amaya has shown himself to be capable and prospect Owen Ayers may be the next big thing in Cubs catching, but neither is an every day replacement for Kelly at this point.

The pitching decisions made by the front office will be even more interesting. There’s actually a case to be made for letting every free agent pitcher walk. After all, the team IS at the bottom of the barrel when it comes to pitching as a unit.

Clay Holmes would be the one guy the Cubs should try to lock in. The veteran has a $12 million player option for 2027, but is not expected to exercise it. He could command as much as $70-$93 million over 3 or 4 years—and that will be a significant risk taken on a 33-year-old. But Holmes’ groundball generation plays perfectly with the Cubs elite infield defense and offers a high possibility of success through his contract.

Targeting only Holmes would mean lots of new pitchers on the roster next season and, given the staff’s problems this year, that’s not a bad thing.

Whatever the case, interesting times are ahead.

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The Cubs activated Edward Cabrera Saturday morning and placed reliever Trent Thornton on the IL due to left ankle soreness. Cabrera had been rehabbing after suffering more blister issues. He’s pitched in only one MLB game since June 23rd in what’s been a disappointing, injury-riddled season for the fireballing righty.

The Cubs are activating Edward Cabrera and adding him to their bullpen ahead of today’s game against the Pirates at Wrigley Field. In the corresponding roster move, Trent Thornton was placed on the injured list with left ankle soreness.

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) September 12, 2026

Cabrera is indeed heading to the bullpen, per The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney. The Cubs are desperately trying to find bullpen solutions in these final two weeks, and Cabrera has the high-octane type of stuff many relievers on the team lack. Now it’s all about execution.

Can Cabrera succeed in the bullpen?

As mentioned before, Cabrera has a high-90s fastball, along with off-speed and breaking stuff. Yet, the results haven’t been there this year; he sports a 5.68 ERA, 5.21 FIP, 5.10 xERA, 7.9 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, and 1.5 WHIP in 76 innings pitched. Not to mention a Hard Hit% in the 17th percentile and xBA of .267.

Nothing within those numbers looks promising. It’s not like he has a high ERA, but better peripherals with consistent weak contact and/or high strikeout numbers. The whiff rate is in the 61st percentile, which isn’t bad, but it has not resulted in finishing guys off (35th percentile strikeout rate). His groundball rate isn’t awful either (54th percentile), but not much above average.

The question is, could pitching out of the pen with a different approach help him lock in? Could he better channel the stuff that’s working and execute more efficiently with fewer pitches per appearance? It’s not necessarily easy to bet on, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility either. Starters moving the pen and executing is nothing baseball fans have not seen before.

Cabrera will be eased into the role. Unless something wild happens in a game, don’t expect him to be a top closer candidate. In the end, pick your poison. Cabrera, Shelby Miller, who is walking guys left and right in Iowa, Jaxon Wiggins, who sports a 7.02 ERA in the Minors, or Justin Steele, who has not pitched in nearly two years and is throwing high-80s/low-90s in his rehab starts.

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The Chicago Cubs’ bullpen struggles have been well-documented, especially over the last batch of games where the relief corps seems to be in full-on collapse mode.

More News: Chicago Cubs: A team of extremes with some pressing issues to address

Jacob Webb and Daniel Palencia, who were thought to be a solid closer platoon heading into the late regular season and playoffs, have been horrible since the end of August and don’t appear to be anywhere near getting back on track.

Below the late-inning duo, the rest of the bullpen has looked inconsistent at best and painfully porous at worst.

According to analyst Mike Petriello, the Cubs rank dead last in FanGraphs’ bullpen Wins Above Replacement (WAR) assessment. They’re also posting a collective ERA close to 4.00. As we’ve seen over the last stretch of games, this is a recipe for disaster in high-pressure games against teams competing doggedly for a playoff spot.

And while there’s nothing resembling a guaranteed cavalry riding in to save the day, Chicago is not without hope when it comes to turning this mess of a pen around.

Hope springs internal

More News: Chicago Cubs may need unlikely bullpen crutch as playoff spot is threatened

Right now, Iowa holds all of the pieces to a Cubs bullpen rebound.

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib has focused on the rehabbing Shelby Miller and opining that the Cubs should bring him up and immediately install him as the team’s closer.

The 35-year-old Miller returned from his 2025 elbow surgery more quickly than anticipated and has already pitched in 12 games in the minors. Although his scary 9.35 ERA is a potential red flag, he’s struck out 17 batters in 9.2 total innings and would give the Cubs that swing-and-miss guy they need so desperately for the back-end of the bullpen.

Per Campbell:

“There’s no simple fix to what has plagued the Cubs’ bullpen this month. It’s reached the point where Craig Counsell should step out of his comfort zone, and that means immediately inserting Shelby Miller as the team’s closer, assuming he returns before the end of the regular season. He thrived as a closer for Arizona last season, and during his rehab assignment, he’s been missing bats frequently with a fastball in the upper-90s. No need to wait and see with Miller’s return, make him the closer.”

Another late-inning bat-misser is Gavin Hollowell, who’s also deep into a rehab assignment. The hard-throwing righty has looked sharp and, when his control is on-point, has closer-level stuff. This season with the big league Cubs, he’s posted a 2.51 ERA over 14.1 innings.

Steele, Cabrera

Then, there’s Justin Steele. The former rotation ace has made three rehab appearances in Iowa and has looked decent, considering that he hadn’t pitched competitively since early April of 2025 after elbow surgery and then a subsequent setback in his recovery this season.

Could a comeback-ready Steele slide into the bullpen and knock the chronically ineffective Caleb Thielbar off the roster as the team’s second lefty relief option? In an absolute best case scenario, that’s exactly what would happen—just in time for the playoffs.

And what about Edward Cabrera, whose disappointing 2026 as a starter could end in redemption if he can make a successful conversion to bullpen asset for the remainder of this season? Cabrera has the power stuff to make a big impact out of the pen, and the Cubs are working with him during his current Iowa rehab assignment. But two stints on the IL and widespread inconsistency when healthy cast some serious doubt.

So, the Cubs are not without bullpen turnaround options. Although, admittedly, those options are long shots at this point.

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Alex Bregman, who signed a five-year, $175 million deal with the Chicago Cubs last offseason, has erased memories of a slow start to his Cubs tenure with a massive second-half surge at the plate. Before the All-Star break, Bregman hit .241/.336/.359 with nine home runs and 15 doubles. In 51 games since, however, he has taken his production to another level, slashing .304/.378/.613 with 16 home runs and 15 doubles.

A 12-home-run August, highlighted by two three-homer games and another multi-homer performance, helped propel Bregman’s season total to 25 home runs, marking the fifth time in his career he has reached the milestone. That total currently ranks third most among third basemen in the National League, trailing only Max Muncy and Manny Machado, and is one reason why Bregman should be in the running for a silver slugger award at season end.

If Bregman becomes a finalist, which appears all but certain, and ultimately takes home the award, it would mark the second Silver Slugger of his career, with his first coming in 2019. It would also put him in rare company in Cubs history, as just the second third baseman in franchise history to win the award.

Alex Bregman is aiming to become just the second Chicago Cubs third baseman to win a Silver Slugger award

Since the Silver Slugger Award was introduced in 1980, the Cubs have had just one third baseman win it: Aramis Ramirez, who took home the award in 2011 after hitting 26 home runs and 35 doubles. Ramirez came close in 2004-06, posting at least 30 home runs and 30 doubles in each of those three seasons without winning the award.

That serves as a reminder of just how difficult it is to be recognized as the best hitter at a position in any given year. Still, Bregman has a strong case this season, leading the league in doubles with 30 and RBIs with 84 while also tying for the most walks with 71. Combined with his second-half home run surge, Bregman has arguably put together one of the strongest offensive resumes at his position. Ultimately, though, we’ll have to wait until the awards are announced in November to see if it is enough.

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The Chicago Cubs are attempting to officially clinch their spot in the postseason. Soon, they should be getting some extra lineup reinforcements to aid that push.

Shortstop Dansby Swanson is expected to be activated from the injured list for next weekend’s series against the Cincinnati Reds, via Patrick Mooney of the Athletic. He’ll first need to go through a rehab assignment, but Swanson should be back in the majors sooner rather than later.

“The Cubs are planning to activate Dansby Swanson (oblique) for next weekend’s series in Cincinnati, Cubs manager Craig Counsell said today at Wrigley Field, after the Gold Glove shortstop completes a short rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa,” Mooney wrote.

Swanson has been out since mid-August with a left oblique strain. The Cubs are going to be cautious, as the last thing they want is a setback. His rehab assignment will allow him to shake any rust off. But Chicago knows they’re a stronger contender with Swanson at shortstop.

Cubs soon welcoming Dansby Swanson back to lineup

Prior to suffering his oblique injury, Swanson hit .216 with 18 home runs, 66 RBIs and 17 stolen bases over his first 119 games of the season. While his batting average leaves a lot to be desired, Swanson is still top five on the team in home runs and RBIs, ranking third in stolen bases.

If he manages to reach the 20/20 plateau, it would be for the second year in a row. He has at least 15 home runs every season since 2021 with a minimum of 66 RBIs in that span. The Cubs will want him to find a bit more consistency at the plate, but his production has and will be crucial to their success. And that’s not even mentioning the defense he provides at shortstop.

Swanson will need to make it through his rehab assignment healthy. But if no setbacks occur, he’ll soon be a crucial part of Chicago’s playoff push once again.

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So, the Chicago Cubs have a serious problem.

They currently find themselves fielding an elite offensive and defensive team with a really poor pitching staff.

More News: Chicago Cubs may need unlikely bullpen crutch as playoff spot is threatened

As a matter of fact, according to analyst Mike Petriello of MLB.com, the Cubs are at the very top of the WAR category when it comes to position players, but at the bottom of the barrel with their pitchers.

Per Petriello:

“Great hitting. Historically good defense. What else is there?

Oh, right. Pitching. The Cubs currently rank 30th – a nicer way of saying “last” – of the 30 teams in the FanGraphs version of Wins Above Replacement (WAR). Yes, below the Rockies, and the A’s, and everyone else. (This isn’t a ‘rank the ERA’ exercise, as those pitching staffs who have allowed more runs have done so in worse ballparks and in front of much weaker defenses.)”

A team of extremes

More News: Chicago Cubs: As bullpen collapses, the blame game begins

The implications for this season are obvious. Once thought to be a shoo-in to earn a playoff berth, the postseason is no longer a guarantee as the bullpen has fully collapsed and the rotation fails to deliver consistent starts.

Where they once enjoyed a 6-game lead atop the NL Wild Card standings, they now find themselves one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for that top seed and just 2.5 and 3 games ahead of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, respectively. There’s a real chance that they could miss out on postseason play entirely as an injury-ravaged pitching staff finally performs down to logical expectations.

If the Cubs make the playoffs and hope to do anything there, they’ll need to rely entirely on their offense and defense. That much is pretty clear at this point.

But is such a thing possible?

Also, per Petriello:

“It’s a problem, is the point. But is it a fatal one? Has any team ever won like, well, this before? It’s somewhat difficult to compare historically, because for a half-century all teams needed to do was to beat seven other teams over six months and they were advanced immediately to the World Series. But we’ll do our best.

The Cubs, as we said, are first in position player WAR and last in pitching WAR. It’s not the first time it’s ever happened. But it would be only the third (2026 Cubs, 1930 Yankees, 1918 Reds) and those long-ago teams played in a 16-team, pre-integrated sport. Neither of those teams reached the World Series, anyway. So far as anything resembling ‘modern baseball’ goes, it would be the first time.”

What this means for the offseason

This ugly dynamic will also make for some interesting decisions in the offseason.

Pitchers Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, and several others could be lost via free agency, as well as key position players like Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, and Carson Kelly.

A lot of money will be coming off the books, but there will also be a lot of roster spots to fill.

Will the front office focus on pitching and finally pull out some big contracts for prime, elite-level arms? We’ve been seeing what bargain hunting for pitching and betting on career (and health) turnarounds can look like when things don’t go perfectly. Could it be time to open up the bank book for some surer things?

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The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of a four-game losing streak and facing the suddenly real possibility that they could actually miss out on a playoff spot.

More News: Chicago Cubs: As bullpen collapses, the blame game begins

As things stand right now, they are a game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the top National League Wild Card spot. They’re now also just 2.5 and 3 games ahead of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, respectively, for the third Wild Card seed.

The Cubs are fielding a potent offense and an elite defense. Their starting pitching, while spotty, has enough heft to it for this last stretch of the regular season. The problem is that the bullpen is in full-on collapse mode—and it’s dragging the rest of the team down with it.

At this point, there’s almost nobody left in manager Craig Counsell’s circle of reliever trust and no real hope for bullpen fortification beyond the possible return of injured veterans Shelby Miller and Justin Steele and the bullpen conversion of starter Edward Cabrera.

Last name left in the circle of trust?

More News: Chicago Cubs closer makes history with unbearably awful stat

With that in mind, Chicago may have to lean on an unlikely crutch the rest of the season, and one of the few bullpen arms actually looking sharp—Aaron Civale.

The 31-year-old righty was a solid waiver acquisition for the Cubs last season and was acquired again this season on July 18 in a minor trade with the A’s. Since rejoining the North Siders, he’s posted a 1.27 ERA through 13 appearances and 28.1 innings pitched as mostly a mop-up guy.

But with the bullpen’s struggles and a corresponding slip down the standings, there’s an emergency “all hands on deck” vibe to the team right now.

Could the Cubs consider using the veteran in a more high-leverage capacity, something that would require shorter outings on more consecutive days?

Civale is down for whatever.

“I’ll take the mound whenever they ask me to,” Civale told The Athletic. “Whether it’s for as many outs as I can or a short outing. I’ve done both since I’ve been here.”

The shift would mean taking one of the few on-point positives from the bullpen and hoping he can adapt to a different game rhythm and different demands on his body.

Counsell’s juggling job

Counsell doesn’t appear to be all the willing to take this risk.

“We have a pitcher that’s pitching really effectively and in a really good role for him,” Counsell told media. “He’s getting important outs. The ability to get more than three outs is a valuable commodity. He’s in a good role right now. He’s been pitching in big innings, and he’s going to continue to.”

Counsell is most definitely not in a good place when it comes to his bullpen. With little in the way of a cavalry riding in to save the day, he’s stuck relying on what he has and maybe shuffling things around in hopes of catching a few breaks. Time will tell if his juggling job is going to be good enough.

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The Chicago Cubs selected infielder/outfielder Josiah Hartshorn in the sixth-round of the 2025 MLB Draft. And in short order, he has already become the best prospect in the organization.

The Cubs are now promoting Hartshorn to Double-A, via Chase Ford of MiLB Central. He is in the midst of a historic rise, via Greg Huss of Cubs on Deck, h/t Brett Taylor of BeacherNation.

“According to my research, he is the first Cubs high school draftee to reach Double-A in his first full professional season since Dyain Frazier in 1970, Huss wrote.

Still just 19-years-old, Hartshorn still has a long journey to the major leagues. This is still his first professional season. But if this is what the first baseman/outfielder’s debut looks like, the Cubs are salivating over his future.

Now, Chicago will see how he stacks up against Double-A competition. If it looks anything like his first 122 games, Hartshorn will only continue to soar through the minor leagues.

Josiah Hartshorn making case as future Chicago Cubs star

As it stands, Hartshorn ranks as the top prospect in Chicago’s organization and the 39th-best in all of baseball, via MLB Pipeline. Needless to say, the Cubs are looking for him to play a vital role in their future.

Over those 122 games, Hartshorn hit .289 with 23 home runs, 110 home runs and 16 stolen bases. His power stroke is clear and has put him on the map. If he is able to put up the same performance against Double-A pitching, his status as a top prospect would only be solidified further.

For now, the Cubs are focused on clinching their spot in the postseason. But eventually, they will need to take a hard look at their future. Chicago will at least remain confident knowing Hartshorn’s bat is in the pipeline.

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The Chicago Cubs have navigated much of the 2026 season without Daniel Palencia, who led the team in saves a season ago. Oblique and elbow issues limited him to just 19 appearances before the All-Star break, but since returning he hasn’t been all that inspiring on the mound, leading manager Craig Counsell to continue to use him in lower leverage spots.

Since being activated on August 21, Palencia has pitched in seven games, allowing runs to cross in four. While two out of his last three have been scoreless, his inability to get swings and misses over his last 60 pitches has stood out as a red flag. As highlighted below by Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation, he’s generated just one whiff over his last three outings.

Daniel Palencia got 1 whiff on 19 pitches last night. Last time out, 0 whiffs on 16 pitches. Before that? 0 on 13 pitches. Before that? 0 on 12 pitches. You’re reading that correctly. Palencia has gotten just 1 single swing & miss over his last 60 pitches.

LOUD CONCERN SOUNDS.

— Brett Taylor (@Brett_A_Taylor) September 10, 2026

What is wrong with Chicago Cubs reliever Daniel Palencia?

A few weeks ago, Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy discussed Palencia’s struggles, attributing his poor outings to two primary issues: being mechanically out of sync and lacking confidence. Both are crucial elements for any pitcher expected to thrive in high-leverage situations.

Furthermore, Palencia’s velocity has dipped below his 99.2 MPH season average in each of those outings. He averaged 97.9 MPH on September 2, 98.2 MPH against the Marlins, and then fell to 97.8 MPH against the Brewers. At this point in the season, particularly after dealing with a pair of injuries, that is not the trend the Cubs want to see. The diminished velocity could also help explain why his fastball has struggled to generate swings and misses.

Ultimately, Palencia’s recent struggles over his last 60 pitches should have the alarm bells sounding. The combination of diminished velocity, mechanical inconsistency and wavering confidence has taken away some of the traits that made him such a dangerous high-leverage option for the Cubs year ago.

However, with Chicago’s bullpen facing increased scrutiny following several recent losses, the Cubs don’t have many obvious alternatives. The most likely options would be to option Palencia in favor of Shelby Miller or, perhaps, Justin Steele, should either make an unlikely return to the big leagues this season after both underwent Tommy John surgery in 2025.

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The Chicago Cubs are in the midst of a four-game losing streak after being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers. Chicago knows they can’t be dropping games in the midst of their playoff push. But the Cubs aren’t pushing the panic button just yet.

At 81-66, the franchise holds a 2.5 game advantage over the competition in the Wild Card race. Outside of the Arizona Diamondbacks, every team currently not in the playoff picture is at least five games out. Chicago does have a bit of a buffer.

Outfielder Ian Happ understands the Cubs control their own playoff destiny. He and his teammates are focusing on what they can control and putting their best foot forward, via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.

“Not the series we wanted to have here,” Happ said. “But we’ve put ourselves in a position where we kind of control our own destiny. Our goal is to play playoff baseball, no matter how that shakes out.”

The Cubs next series will come against the Pittsburgh Pirates, who remain in the Wild Card mix. How Chicago responds to their recent sweep will be telling of their playoff potential.

Chicago Cubs focusing on what they can control 

In the third loss of the sweep, Kevin Gausman lasted just four innings, allowing eight hits and six earned running. It admittedly wasn’t the start he or Chicago wanted him to have. But Gausman isn’t going sulk and is instead solely focused for his next opportunity on the mound.

“We don’t have time to sulk,” Gausman said. “We’ve just got to keep our head down and keep playing really good baseball. And just continue to be confident.”

“I just need to pitch better. It comes back to execution,” he continued. “I can’t throw lazy changeups in the zone. Those are always going to get beat. I just need to be better.”

As for manager Craig Counsell, he is doing his best to avoid watching the standings. He knows the team he has is capable of competing. The Cubs re-finding their footing as soon as possible remains Counsell’s highest priority.

“Look, again, our job is to win games,” Counsell said before Wednesday’s game. “That’s what we can control. That’s what we can do. [The Wild Card race] doesn’t affect any decisions. The decisions are happening during the game here. What’s going on around the league doesn’t help us. Do we know the standings? I know the standings, yeah.”

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Following a three-game sweep by the Brewers, the Chicago Cubs trail Milwaukee by 10 games in the NL Central. Luckily, they sit with a 2.5-game lead in the NL wild card standings, and if all goes well, they should be playing October baseball.

However, the Cubs have a major issue. The bullpen has been an atrocity as of late.

Cubs relievers have a 3.98 ERA for the season, and the bullpen has slipped to a 4.40 ERA over the last 31 days. They’ve blown multiple leads over the past few weeks, in games where they should’ve won.

Most recently, a few games ago, the Cubs surrendered another lead in the 9th. Closer Jacob Webb gave up a 2-run blast to Jackson Chourio in the ninth inning, which tied the game. The Brewers went on to win the game in extras, sparking another conversation about this team’s inability to close games.

Webb has been particularly frustrating as of late. He has surrendered either a game-tying or game-ending home run in each of his last three save opportunities. This cannot be a trend as the playoffs near, if the Cubs want any chance of getting hot and making a World Series run.

With that being said, the Cubs may need to turn to a familiar face in Edward Cabrera. The 28-year-old flamethrower could provide a spark for this bullpen and should return from the IL soon.

Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell plans to use Edward Cabrera in the bullpen when he returns

Manager Craig Counsell has surely let his thoughts on the bullpen be heard, and a change in performance is needed.

They might need a change in personnel as well. Luckily, there is some hope down in Triple-A Iowa, as pitcher Edward Cabrera is set to return from his rehab stint (blister) very soon.

Counsell has said previously that Cabrera will be moved to the bullpen once he is brought back to the majors.

During a recent rehab appearance, Cabrera lit up the radar gun, throwing gas out of the bullpen.

Edward Cabrera bringing the heat out of the pen!
Strike 1: 99 MPH
Strike 2: 100 MPH
Strike 3: 99 MPH pic.twitter.com/TMUKgYLH2r

— Iowa Cubs (@IowaCubs) September 9, 2026

This transition to a relief role could help manage recurring blister issues and limit stress on his finger. This season, Cabrera has struggled mightily with injuries and performance in general (5.68 ERA).

Even with his last appearance being a rough one (0.2 IP, 3H, 4ER, 2BB, K), Cabrera will provide swing-and-miss capability, which is desperately needed in this bullpen.

He’ll need to bounce back in a big way to make an impact on this Cubs bullpen.

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A year ago, Craig Counsell had the Chicago Cubs’ bullpen firing on all cylinders. The relief corps posted a 3.78 ERA and converted 44 of 64 save opportunities, a 69% success rate. This season, however, the bullpen has taken a noticeable step backward, carrying a 4.00 ERA while converting just 32 of 58 save opportunities, a 55% rate.

It’s a drastic decline in production and reliability from a unit that looked far more dependable a year ago. The lack of a true go-to closer has played a role. In 2025, Daniel Palencia led the Cubs with 22 saves in 25 opportunities, while this season Jacob Webb has taken the team lead but has converted just 9 of 16 chances. Even more concerning, Webb has surrendered either a game-tying or game-ending home run in each of his last three save opportunities.

Further compounding the problem has been the lack of impact from several offseason additions. Hunter Harvey has appeared in just three innings, Hoby Milner was designated for assignment, and Phil Maton has regressed amid injury issues. Then there’s Webb, who has repeatedly struggled to deliver in the biggest moments, leaving the Cubs without a reliable ninth inning option.

With all that in mind, the Cubs once again watched a late lead slip away against the Milwaukee Brewers on Tuesday night. Webb surrendered a game-tying two-run home run to Jackson Chourio in the ninth inning, and Luis Lara delivered the walk-off hit an inning later. Following the loss, Counsell addressed the bullpen’s struggles and the challenges he’s facing.

Craig Counsell’s response to the Chicago Cubs latest ninth inning bullpen disaster speaks volumes to season long issue

A day after facing criticism for leaving Matthew Boyd in too long against the Brewers, Counsell once again watched his bullpen unravel in a familiar scene, as highlighted above. Asked about the latest collapse, Counsell put the responsibility squarely on his relievers.

“This is how you’ve got to win games in the bullpen,” Counsell said. “You’ve got to get outs. It’s our job. They’re going to do it. … We’ve got [nine] guys down there. They’re the guys we’re going to rely on. We’ve got to figure it out.”

While Counsell’s words may sound like a broken record given the Cubs’ bullpen struggles all season, he has reached a point where he simply has no other options. There is no trade deadline left to bring in reinforcements, meaning the relievers currently on the roster have to find a way to deliver.

So far, that hasn’t happened consistently. Still, that doesn’t mean this group can’t turn things around in the coming weeks, especially when the postseason arrives and the Cubs’ season is on the line.

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The Chicago Cubs bullpen gift-wrapped another win for an opposing team on Tuesday when their bullpen once again collapsed in the late innings.

More News: Chicago Cubs closer makes history with unbearably awful stat

The team’s 4-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field was the second straight 4-3 loss to the division rivals and the second straight time the bullpen let a lead slip away in the eighth or ninth innings.

With yet another frustrating, totally unnecessary loss in the books, things are starting to look bleak—beyond the morale-crushing nature of the bullpen fails.

As things sit right now, the Cubs are a half-game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the top spot in the National League Wild Card standings. After this recent three-game losing streak, they are also just three games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks for the final Wild Card spot and three-and-a-half games ahead of the San Diego Padres.

With sixteen games left in the season and the bullpen in full-on collapse mode, it’s still quite possible that the Cubs could find themselves eliminated from postseason play entirely—after being regarded as a virtual shoo-in to make the playoffs as recently as a week ago.

Fingers pointed

More News: Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell slammed for Matthew Boyd miscalculation

And with that realization starting to sink in, frustration has started to boil over and fingers are starting to be pointed.

Manager Craig Counsell has taken his fair share of the blame for the bullpen woes, specifically. But at some point one has to consider that he can only do so much with the pitchers he has at his disposal.

So, the largest target for blame above Counsell is the man in charge of acquiring those pitchers—Cubs president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer.

Mark Powell of Fansided recently took the biggest whack at the Cubs exec:

“When assigning blame for the Cubs bullpen woes, you have to start at the very top, and that is Jed Hoyer. While the Cubs tried to build their bullpen from scratch — and devoted plenty of financial resources to it in the process — Hoyer bet on the wrong horses. Phil Maton, Hunter Harvey, and Hoby Milner, all signed as free agents, haven’t delivered. Palencia has been hurt for significant portions of the season and only just returned. Javier Assad, Aaron Civale and Colin Rea are all former starting pitchers who aren’t used to this role.

This is why the Cubs traded for Ryan Zeferjahn at the deadline, but even he hasn’t been what was promised, as the right-hander has a 6.23 ERA since he was acquired by Hoyer.”

The buck stops at the top?

This won’t be the first time Hoyer catches flak for his inability to acquire quality pitching, especially for a bullpen that pretty much had to be entirely rebuilt during the offseason. And there’s definitely a good argument to make that the buck stops at the very top.

But there’s also a good argument to make for just wild bad luck overtaking the team via injury and the subsequent need for pitchers to assume roles that are just not in their physical or mental makeup.

Whatever the case, though, the focus has to be on stopping the bullpen-related freefall and then crossing finger extra-tight that the relief corps finds its mojo in the playoffs.

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What can one say about the general awfulness of the Chicago Cubs bullpen that hasn’t already been said?

More News: Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell slammed for Matthew Boyd miscalculation

On Tuesday, the Cubs once again snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when—once again—the bullpen failed to keep a late-inning lead. At this point, it doesn’t take a genius-level baseball IQ to see that the team’s relief corps is in full-on collapse mode.

Jacob Webb, at this point, is the poster boy for the fall of the Cubs bullpen.

In his most recent outing, the veteran righty entered the game in the bottom of the ninth with his team up 3-1 and then proceeded to give up two runs, sending the game into extra innings where Caleb Thielbar tipped in the fail by allowing the walkoff winning run in the tenth.

Webb’s historical awfulness

More News: Chicago Cubs fleeced in Kyle Tucker trade? Wesneski’s emergence says “yes”

With this latest appearance, Webb has set a dubious record.

Per OptaSTATS:

He’s the only MLB pitcher to allow a game-tying or go-ahead HR w/ 2 outs in 9th in 3 straight save opps (since saves became official in 1969).

Jacob Webb’s last 3 save chances:

2-run walkoff HR (2 outs in 9th)
2-run walkoff HR (2 outs in 9th)
2-run game-tying HR (2 outs in 9th)

That’s certainly a nasty bit of history for the 33-year-old who was riding into the second half of August as a surprisingly rock-solid asset amid a wave of injuries that had hobbled the pitching staff as a whole. Earning a spot as the Cubs’ de facto closer, he was sporting a 2.21 ERA as recently as August 21 with 9 saves.

But since August 22, it’s been an entirely different story.

In his six outings since then, he’s blown 3 saves and has posted an ugly 17.34 ERA. He’s allowed 3 home runs in 4.2 innings during this recent stretch.

“I’m tired of letting the team down, to be completely honest,” Webb told reporters after the game. “It’s pretty tough to watch every time I give up a homer. … It’s piss poor.”

Playoff hopes are taking a hit

Webb’s blunt self-inventory provides little solace to a team—and its fans—watching their playoff hopes starting to slip away in real time. As of this writing, the Cubs are a half-game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the top National League Wild Card spot. More alarming, though, is the fact that they are now only three and three-and-a-half games ahead of the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres, respectively, in the Wild Card standings.

It’s quite possible that this bullpen collapse will be the death of the Cubs’ postseason hopes.

And worst of all, there just don’t seem to be any answers—beyond hopes and prayers that Shelby Miller and Justin Steele can get strong enough to carry some of the bullpen load and that the thus far unreliable Edward Cabrera can make the quick transition from starter to relief ace.

“The answers are not there,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “These are our guys. They’re going to get the outs. You go through tough stretches in the season. It hurts when it happens right now. It hurts when it happens right at the end of the game with two outs, it hurts a little bit worse.”

“It tests ya,” Counsell added. “You have to use the test, you have to use the hurt to get you to a better place. And it can. When you get knocked down and you can get back up, that’s an even better feeling.”

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The pitching woes for the Chicago Cubs struck again on Tuesday night in Milwaukee. Chicago held a lead in a game against the Brewers for the fourth time in the last six meetings between the two teams spanning over 10 days, and they once blew the lead and lost the game.

After the Cubs grabbed a 3-1 lead in the ninth inning, they turned to Jacob Webb to seal the game and get a big win in Milwaukee.

While Webb got the first two batters out, he allowed a pinch-hit single to Christian Yelich and then watched Jackson Chourio tie the game with a long two-run home run. Milwaukee then walked it off in the 10th inning to secure the win.

It was heartbreak again for the Cubs as they watched Milwaukee reach 90 wins on the year, extend the lead in the NL Central and beat the Cubs for the fourth time in the past six games, all come back wins. After the game, Webb got brutally honest about his performance.

Jacob Webb’s ‘piss poor’ performance

The Cubs bullpen has been a struggle all season long and more recently, it’s rearing its ugly head again. For manager Craig Counsell, all he can do is just trust his guys as this is the bullpen that Jed Hoyer built.

But for Webb, he knows he has to do better.

“I’m tired of letting the team down, to be completely honest,” Webb said after the game. “It’s pretty tough to watch every time I give up a homer. … It’s piss poor.”

The Cubs bullpen as a whole can be considered ‘piss poor’ lately. Since mid-August, the Cubs bullpen has given up 16 home runs and is 23rd in ERA. They have been hit by injuries but inconsistent performances even from trade deadline pickups have hurt them.

Counsell can only pitch who he has available to him.

“We made a bad pitch with a man on base,” Counsell said of Chourio’s home run. “It’s the one thing that can’t happen there. Unfortunately, it happened.

“We have eight guys down there. Those are the guys we’re going to rely on. We have to figure it out.”

If the Cubs want any success at all in the postseason, they need to figure out a way to fix these bullpen issues.

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Kevin Gausman was on the Toronto Blue Jays team plane when he found out he was traded to the Chicago Cubs. He shared an emotional moment with manager John Schneider once he was made aware of the news.

Gausman was in his fifth season with the Blue Jays, crafting his legacy with the franchise. At the same time, he and his family had grown accustomed to what Toronto had offered. Having to move their lives, and Gausman’s playing career, was a difficult task for all involved.

However, it didn’t take long for the right-hander to find his footing in Chicago. One series with the Cubs, and Gausman realized the opportunity that was in front of him.

Chicago Cubs sweep changes Kevin Gausman’s course

From Aug. 3-5, the Cubs hosted the defending Los Angeles Dodgers. They came away with a sweep, proving they could hang with the best. While Gausman didn’t pitch during that series, he clearly saw what Chicago was all about, via Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic.

“Every single game was absolutely electric,” Gausman said. “It took me like two days to kind of flip it from being sad to being excited, to be like, ‘I have an opportunity to be part of something special here.’”

Gausman has made six starts since joining the Cubs, sporting a 4-1 record. The righty holds a 4.37 ERA and a 38/8 K/BB ratio. While there have been a few blow up outings, Gausman is coming off a gem. In a 2-1 win over the Milwaukee Brewers, he threw seven innings of one-run baseball, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out nine.

Set to be a free agent after the season, Gausman will have to make a crucial decision on where he wants t continue his career if he keeps playing. If the Cubs are able to go on a deep playoff run, perhaps they convince the right-hander to run it back.

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September has arrived with the Cubs still firmly in the postseason race. Chicago entered September 4 at 79-62, eight games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central but five games above the Wild Card cutoff, leaving plenty at stake as the schedule starts shrinking.

Chicago’s final stretch will require more than one source of production. Defense, dependable pitching, baserunning and positional flexibility all matter in close games. These five players contribute across those areas as Chicago approaches the final weeks.

1. Crow-Armstrong Covers Ground in Center

Pete Crow-Armstrong brings a defensive dimension that changes innings before the damage appears on a scoreboard. His speed and range make center field feel smaller for opposing hitters, and the numbers reinforce that reputation. He tied for the MLB lead with 24 Outs Above Average in 2025, made 19 five-star catches and won his first Gold Glove in center field.

That defensive presence also provides useful context when examining MLB betting odds during the closing weeks. Defensive quality forms part of the broader matchup picture, particularly when a difficult catch prevents runners from advancing or preserves a narrow advantage.

Those moments become more noticeable in close September games. Crow-Armstrong can cover gaps, support the corner outfielders and give pitchers greater confidence when contact travels into spacious areas of the park.

His impact may consequently arrive without dominating offensive statistics. When margins become increasingly narrow, preventing an extra-base hit or cutting down an advancing runner can quietly influence an entire contest.

2. Hoerner Keeps the Offense Moving

Nico Hoerner offers Chicago a different form of consistency. His contact skills, low strikeout rate, baserunning and strong defense give the lineup a dependable presence throughout the batting order.

That reliability becomes particularly useful during the final weeks. September games can turn on isolated opportunities, making contact and baserunning increasingly important when an offense faces quality starting pitching or specialized relievers capable of limiting sustained rallies.

Hoerner does not need to carry the offense through power to influence those situations. Putting the ball in play, advancing on the bases and creating opportunities for subsequent hitters gives Chicago several ways to construct runs.

That makes him a stabilizing presence rather than an all-or-nothing threat. Lineups inevitably fluctuate during a long season, but Hoerner’s broader skill set provides Chicago with a consistent foundation when offensive rhythm becomes difficult to maintain.

3. Imanaga Carries a Heavy Rotation Load

Shota Imanaga enters September carrying one of the heaviest workloads on Chicago’s pitching staff. Through his first 27 starts, the left-hander has worked 150 1/3 innings, giving the Cubs substantial volume during a season in which maintaining rotation continuity has required constant attention.

The significance of those innings grows as the calendar advances. Chicago needs starters capable of working deep enough to prevent every close game from placing excessive demands on the bullpen, particularly when consecutive important series compress opportunities for recovery.

Imanaga’s task is therefore about consistency as much as individual results. Taking the ball on schedule and navigating meaningful innings gives the Cubs something predictable around which the rest of their pitching plans can be constructed.

Imanaga’s availability and innings volume carry particular value during the final push. If he continues absorbing a significant workload, Chicago gains greater flexibility when arranging the remainder of the rotation and managing relief responsibilities around demanding late-season matchups.

4. Holmes Brings Stability to the Staff

Clay Holmes has quickly become an important part of Chicago’s late-season pitching picture. After joining the Cubs, the veteran transitioned into their rotation and immediately demonstrated his ability to provide controlled innings, including taking a perfect game into the sixth during an August start at Wrigley Field.

His recent consistency has strengthened that impression. Holmes recorded a 1.55 ERA across five starts and 29 innings over a recent month-long stretch, providing Chicago with dependable production at a point when stability carries particular importance.

That matters beyond his individual appearances. Effective starts reduce the number of innings the bullpen needs to cover, an important consideration during a demanding late-season schedule. Fans following the wider playoff picture can also find matchup coverage and MLB articles throughout the closing weeks.

Holmes therefore offers a different storyline from Imanaga’s season-long workload. His importance rests in what he has added during the closing phase. Continued dependable outings could give Chicago another reliable option as each remaining series assumes greater significance.

5. Shaw Grows Into a Flexible Role

Matt Shaw’s 2026 season has required adaptation. After spending much of his rookie year at third base, offseason changes pushed him toward a utility role, leading the Cubs to expand his responsibilities across both the infield and outfield during Spring Training.

That versatility has remained central to his season, with Shaw appearing at numerous positions despite time on the injured list. Chicago nevertheless retained the flexibility to deploy him according to matchups and roster needs.

September provides another opportunity for his role to develop. Regular contributions at the plate would make his defensive flexibility considerably more useful, particularly when Chicago needs to rotate players, respond to injuries or alter its lineup without sacrificing too much offensive potential.

Shaw consequently represents both the present and future. Continued development across different positions gives Chicago a versatile contributor who provides depth without being restricted to one assignment.

Different Contributions, One Final Push

Chicago’s closing weeks will test more than its most visible strengths. Crow-Armstrong can influence games with his defensive range, while Hoerner provides consistency and Imanaga carries substantial responsibility within the rotation.

Holmes has introduced another dependable pitching option at an important stage, and Shaw gives the lineup valuable positional flexibility. Their roles differ considerably, which is precisely why each matters. As the remaining schedule contracts, those varied contributions could collectively determine how effectively the Cubs navigate the final demands of 2026.

The post 5 Cubs Players Who Could Define the Final Stretch of 2026 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs, on Monday, blew a prime opportunity to beat the division rival Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.

More News: Chicago Cubs fleeced in Kyle Tucker trade? Wesneski’s emergence says “yes”

A Labor Day win may not have meant a whole lot in the race for the NL Central Division top spot—the Cubs still would’ve been six games behind with precious little time left in the regular season. But beating the Brewers would’ve been a major point of pride and a confidence booster. It also would’ve taken the pressure off of them on Wednesday, when ace phenom Jacob Misiorowski starts with a chip on his shoulder after a bad outing against the Cubs last week.

For a while it looked like the Cubs would get that Labor Day win.

Matthew Boyd was cooking through 7 innings, allowing just one run. But then, in the eighth inning, the wheels fell off the cart and Boyd gave up a leadoff walk and a double before relievers Ryan Zeferjahn and Jacob Webb allowed the Brewers to go from a 2-1 deficit to a 4-2 lead.

In the ninth, Chicago was only able to muster one run—from a solo homer by Pete Crow-Armstrong—before the book was closed on a 4-3 loss.

Counsell is roasted

More News: Chicago Cubs finding a replacement for Happ or Suzuki?

After the game, critics let loose with complaints over how manager Craig Counsell managed his pitchers in the eighth inning.

People are questioning why Boyd was allowed to come out for the eighth. And they’re really questioning why he was allowed to stay in the game after walking the lefty Garrett Mitchell and showing clear signs that his gas tank was empty. The next batter, the right-handed Joey Ortiz, would then crush a double to put runners on second and third with no outs.

Counsell then finally came out and Zeferjahn was brought into an almost impossible situation.

A mental block?

Matthew Trueblood of North Side Baseball laid the criticism on thick after the game, pretty much flat-out saying that Counsell has a mental block when it comes to coaching against his former team:

“Counsell…has managed like he’s terrified of his own instincts when facing the Brewers over the last two seasons, and he made another mistake born of that hesitation. Despite Boyd preparing to face Garrett Mitchell and Joey Ortiz for the third time and try to get an out in the eighth for the first time all year, Counsell left him in, eschewing (for the moment) Zeferjahn.

That’s not who Counsell is, as a manager. He’s dealt with a shaky bullpen all season, and Zeferjahn is as suspect as anyone the team has relied on in high-leverage situations during that time, but he’s also pitched well lately. He would have offered a vastly different look than Boyd to Mitchell and Ortiz (or, if it came to that, pinch-hitter Jake Bauers), who had already seen the tiring veteran southpaw twice. This is simple stuff. No version of Counsell that existed before he came to Chicago—and, really, no version of him who has ever managed against any team other than the Brewers—sends out his starter to pitch in that situation, but when facing his former team and his former mentor, Counsell hasn’t been himself.”

Counsell has been lauded throughout his career for how well he handles his pitchers. And this season, with all of the injuries and setbacks, he’s done some magical stuff in keeping the Cubs’ staff productive.

But Monday was a very bad day for the Cubs’ skipper. The team can’t afford to have too many more of those bad Counsell days if they want to do something in the playoffs.

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When the Chicago Cubs pulled the trigger on the trade with the Houston Astros to bring Kyle Tucker home, there weren’t too many fans crying over the cost.

More News: Chicago Cubs finding a replacement for Happ or Suzuki?

To get one year of the All-Star right fielder, the Cubs gave up 2024 no. 1 draft pick Cam Smith, third baseman Isaac Paredes, and pitcher Hayden Wesneski. Paredes was a good, solid every day player and Smith had a tremendous upside. The righty Wesneski, meanwhile, had top-shelf potential, but had failed to put it all together and was looking increasingly lost in the effort to do so.

Since coming from the New York Yankees in the 2022 Scott Effross trade, the Cubs seemed at a loss when it came to getting the talented young pitcher to the next level.

Of the three players dealt to the Astros, Wesneski was the least lamented by the Cubs faithful. And when he underwent Tommy John surgery in May of 2025, he pretty much became the forgotten man in the Tucker trade.

Well, he’s definitely forced his way into being not forgotten now.

Hayden Wesneski is forgotten no more

More News: Chicago Cubs: The best case scenario playoff pitching roster

Since coming back from his surgery in late July of this season, the 28-year-old has posted a 3.18 ERA over 7 games and 39.2 innings pitched. In his last start against the Chicago White Sox, Wesneski threw 7 shutout, one-hit innings in the Astros’ 2-0 win.

Overall, he’s looked like a top-tier starting pitcher since coming back—something the Cubs could most definitely use, especially heading into a 2027 with so much insecurity swirling around the rotation.

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib recently touched on Wesneski and his progress:

“Through his first seven starts with the Astros this season, Wesneski has an ERA of 3.18. What makes it more impressive is how Weneski is finding success this season. With the Cubs, home runs were his fatal flaw. So far with the Astros this season, he’s kept the ball in the bark. Through nearly 40 innings pitched this season, Wesneski has only given up two home runs.

There’s no telling if the Cubs would have been unable to unlock this version of Wesneski, it’s become clear their pitching infrastructure doesn’t always value how other teams find success. But, the larger point is that the Cubs paid a steep price to have Tucker for one season. It was obvious at the time, but as the debate over how won the trade rages on, it’s starting to look like the Astros are the victor and it may not be close.”

A big-trade fail?

Tucker definitely had value for the Cubs last season, despite an ugly second-half slump. It could be argued that Tucker’s first-half prominence helped motor the team into a position where they were a lock to make the postseason.

But, realistically, he was going to be a Cubs one-and-done as his free agent contract demands were going to be too steep for Chicago’s spending preferences.

It’s hard to go back and label a trade a failure when it probably helped you get into the playoffs. But it sure would be nice to have Cam Smith back as a right field option and a healthy, fully-actualized Wesneski earning recognition as a quality starting pitcher.

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When the Chicago Cubs made their trade deadline moves, the focus was understandably on pitching. To bolster an injury-hobbled pitching staff, the team acquired Kevin Gausman, Ryan Zeferjahn, Braxton Garrett, and Clay Holmes before the end of the deadline.

More News: Chicago Cubs: The best case scenario playoff pitching roster

Under the radar a bit was the Cubs’ other deadline acquisition, though—Tyrone Taylor.

The 32-year-old Taylor came over from the New York Mets in the Clay Holmes deal for highly-rated Cubs prospect Jefferson Rojas. At the time, Taylor was viewed as a depth acquisition and fourth outfielder-type who could play all three outfield positions and spell some of the regulars from time to time during the dog days of summer. He was also viewed as a right-handed bat off the bench to take at bats against tough lefties.

He’s turned into a whole lot more.

Tyrone Taylor’s surprising breakout

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According to analyst Carson Wolf, since June 28 (among players with 100+ plate appearances), Taylor is ranked no. 1 in batting average (.381), On Base Percentage (.445), Slugging (.711), wOBA (.488), and wRC+ (215). Since joining the Cubs, he’s slashing .404/.448/.558 over 21 games.

His turnaround this season has been remarkable, going from a solid, near-league average hitter with added value against lefties, to what he’s become now.

Wolf further explored Taylor’s sudden development in a piece for Just Baseball:

“His barrel rate has jumped from 6.1% to 12.5%, a mark that ranks in the top 11% of hitters this season. This has allowed him to slug at a rate that he had not seen before in his career.

His plate discipline and contact rates have also shifted in his favor. He has begun swinging the bat less overall, as well as chasing and whiffing less. This has led to a decrease in strikeouts and a significant increase in walks.

The improvement across the board has been incredible, and the process supports an increase in productivity.”

A suitable Happ/Suzuki replacement?

The rise to prominence creates an interesting situation for Chicago as they stare down the possibility of losing both Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki to free agency this offseason. Taylor, who is also eligible for free agency at the end of the season, has to be considered an option when it comes to replacing either of the team’s current corner outfielders.

Currently making $3.8 million, Taylor would surely get a significant raise no matter where he signs. He’ll still, however, demand much less than the $20+ million Happ and Suzuki will demand over the course of what would also likely be a longer contract.

Manager Craig Counsell knows Taylor well from his days in Milwaukee and also, apparently, played a role in scouting him as a young athlete. The Cubs skipper helped guide the team into acquiring Taylor this season as well.

Could Chicago opt to let at least one of their current corner outfielders go in favor of a temporary Taylor stopgap until young outfield prospects Josiah Hartshorn, Ethan Conrad, and/or Kane Kepley can make their way to the big leagues?

It’s certainly possible, given the outfield prospect capital the team has in the farm system and certain budget-related issues.

Taylor is due for some regression. Pretty much everyone acknowledges that. But his floor is high enough as a multi-tool player to make an every day gig with the team something worthy of consideration.

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The Chicago Cubs are gearing up for what they hope is a lengthy playoff run. If all goes to plan, Edward Cabrera would be operating in a pivotal role out of the bullpen.

Cabrera is still making his way back from a middle finger blister. The Cubs have already committed to moving him to the pen upon his return. In that spot, Brent Maguire of MLB.com argues Cabrera could make his biggest impact.

“It’s been a tough first year in Chicago for Cabrera, who has been on the IL since Aug. 17 due to a finger blister and had a 5.68 ERA in his first 15 starts with the Cubs,” Maguire wrote. “Cabrera is already gearing up for a return with multiple rehab appearances and the plan is for him to shift to the bullpen when he’s back. That transition is why Cabrera is on this list despite his struggles — the right-hander has solely operated as a starter in the Majors but his high-octane stuff could make him a real threat in the playoffs.”

The Cubs’ biggest priority is getting Cabrera back on the field. Seeing as he is dealing with a blister, that shouldn’t take too long. Upon that return, Chicago will look for his role change to spark greater success in 2026.

Chicago Cubs’ Edward Cabrera trying to bounce back

The Cubs acquired Cabrera in a trade with the Miami Marlins prior to the season. However, his debut hasn’t gone as planned. Over his first 15 starts with the franchise, the right-hander holds a 5.68 ERA and a 67/32 K/BB ratio.

Still, the Cubs traded for him for a reason. He held a 3.53 ERA and a 150/48 K/BB ratio in his last 26 starts with the Marlins. Cabrera’s entire six-year MLB career has resulted in a 4.31 ERA and a 545/248 K/BB ratio.

Chicago knows the righty brings value to their roster when he is at the top of his game. Perhaps coming out of the bullpen will be what Cabrera needs to get back on track.

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Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been on a tear in 2026, firmly placing himself towards the top of National League Most Valuable Player discussions. On Sunday, the burgeoning superstar further etched his name into the franchise history books.

While the Cubs fell 10-3 to the Miami Marlins, the outfielder smashed his 40th home run of the year in the fifth inning. He joins just Billy Williams – who hit 42 in 1970 – as the only left-handed Cubs batters to hit 40 home runs in a season, via Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune.

“The All-Star center fielder joined Billy Williams (42 in 1970) as the only left-handed hitters to reach 40 home runs in a season in the franchise’s 150-year history,” Montemurro. “He’s one of 10 Cubs to reach the mark and the first since Derrek Lee hit 46 in 2005.”

Crow-Armstrong’s full breakout has come during his age-24 season, making him one of the youngest lefty hitters to eclipse 40 homers.

“Crow-Armstrong is just the 13th lefty hitter in MLB history at 24 years old or younger to hit at least 40 home runs in a season,” Montemurro wrote. “Former teammate Cody Bellinger was the last to do it when he hit 47 in 2019 with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Crow-Armstrong and Ernie Banks (44 home runs in 1955) are the youngest Cubs to record at least 40, both doing it in their age 24 seasons.”

The Cubs certainly aren’t complaining about Crow-Armstrong’s performance in 2026. But if/when he hits his 41st home run, Chicago will hope it comes in a win.

Chicago Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong pushing for MVP

After Sunday’s game, Crow-Armstrong is now hitting .280 with 40 home runs, 96 RBIs and 33 stolen bases. He ranks second in the league in home runs, fourth in stolen bases and fifth in stolen bases. The outfielder’s 106 runs scored are five more than any other player in the league.

Chicago’s playoff charge will be largely driven by Crow-Armstrong’s performance. The Cubs have plenty of potent bats in the lineup. But not many players in the league can touch what the back-to-back All-Star has done in 2026.

The Cubs will enter the postseason with lofty expectations. Chicago will feel much more confident about accomplishing them with Crow-Armstrong in the lineup.

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The Chicago Cubs are trying sweep the Miami Marlins on Sunday. However, their attempt will be without outfielder Ian Happ.

Happ was scratched with left knee discomfort less than an hour before first pitch, via Pamela Paredes of MLB.com. He was replaced by Tyrone Taylor, who is playing left field and batting ninth.

“Less than an hour before first pitch against the Marlins on Sunday at loanDepot park, the Cubs scratched Ian Happ from the lineup with left knee discomfort,” Paredes wrote. “Happ was scheduled to start in left field and bat fifth. Instead, he was replaced by Tyrone Taylor, who batted ninth and played left field.”

The fact Happ is dealing with discomfort rather than a full blown injury is a good sign. Still, the Cubs will have plenty of questions to answer after the outfielder was scratched so close to first pitch. Those answers will likely come after the game.

Chicago has their eyes set on a deep playoff run. Losing Happ for any amount of time would only hurt their cause. They’ll hope his knee discomfort keeps him on the shelf short-term and won’t require an injured list stint. But Happ may need to undergo a few tests to be sure.

Chicago Cubs can’t afford to lose Ian Happ

A single game is one thing. But losing Happ for an extended period of time would be a brutal blow. Through 138 games in 2026, the outfielder is hitting .221 with 23 home runs and 64 RBIs. While his numbers may not jump off the page, Happ ranks fourth on the team in homers and sixth in RBIs.

Furthermore, the Cubs are well aware of what he brings to the field both at the plate and on defense. Over his 10 years with the franchise, Happ has hit .244 with 196 home runs, 621 RBIs and 74 stolen bases.

The outfielder won’t be able to improve on those numbers Sunday. Both Happ and the Cubs will hope that isn’t the case for long.

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The Chicago Cubs are widely expected to make the playoffs. Current odds show the team having almost a 99% certainty of making postseason play.

More News: Chicago Cubs facing major Matthew Boyd dilemma

In the standings, they currently hold a half-game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies at the top of the National League Wild Card race and a six-game lead over the no. 3 Wild Card seed Arizona Diamondbacks.

Barring some major, historic-level collapse, Chicago will be in the playoffs.

And the team does have the potential to make a deep run towards a championship. Their offense—currently led by MVP favorite Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, and Seiya Suzuki—is, arguably, the most potent offense in the majors. Meanwhile, their defense is absolute elite-tier and could also be regarded as the best in all of baseball.

The question with the Cubs, however, centers around pitching.

The Cubs’ pitching problem

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The pitching has been an issue almost from day one of the season.

Emerging ace Cade Horton was lost for the season after just two starts and will be out for much of next year as well following Tommy John surgery. Justin Steele’s return was shelved after a setback in his recovery from 2025 elbow surgery. Starters Matthew Boyd and Edward Cabrera, as well as closer Daniel Palencia have had two stints apiece on the IL. Three of the four free agent bullpen arms picked up in the offseason are either injured or off the team. Jameson Taillon flatlined the year and was later let go. And this was just some of the misfortune facing the team and it’s pitching staff.

The injuries have rocked them, non-stop, and have forced them into filling the roster with minor league pickups and castoffs from other teams just to field a full pitching staff.

Some good trade deadline acquisitions and a couple of pleasant surprises have helped stabilize the Cubs’ pitching, but with the playoffs approaching, there’s real concern about how this patchwork pitching staff may hold up. After all, as most experts acknowledge, pitching takes on a greater level of importance in the postseason.

But what if all goes well for Chicago’s pitching plans? What if it’s all “best case scenario” once the Cubs hit the playoffs?

Here’s a look at what such a pitching staff might look like.

The “best case scenario” Cubs playoff pitching roster

A veteran three-man Wild Card starting rotation of Clay Homes, Matthew Boyd, and Kevin Gausman would be top-tier. If/when the team advances, they’d then have to choose from Shota Imanaga, David Peterson, Colin Rea, and Javier Assad for the fourth rotation spot. This is definitely workable, especially if the offense is rocking.

The bullpen, however, is considerably more uncertain.

Jacob Webb and Daniel Palencia have been awful in recent outings and there’s real reason to be scared of what they might look like in a postseason late-inning relief role. Ryan Zeferjahn has closer-level stuff, but has struggled since coming over from the Angels at the trade deadline. His last two outings, though, have been great.

Now, here’s where there will be a bit of fantastical thinking to make this “best case scenario” angle work.

Justin Steele is currently working through a rehab assignment in the minors and, ideally, he gets the green light to work just in time to make the playoff roster. This would give the Cubs a second or third lefty in the pen, depending on whether they choose to keep both Ryan Rolison and Caleb Thielbar on the roster.

Then there’s Shelby Miller, who’s a bit further along in his rehab assignment than Steele. In a perfect world, he also gets back in time for the postseason.

Edward Cabrera, who’s also rehabbing, could be brought on as a wild card bullpen asset with legit swing-and-miss stuff for spot bullpen use.

So, in this “best case scenario” Cubs playoff bullpen, the team has a possible relief corps of: Palencia, Webb, Zeferjahn, Steele, Miller, Cabrera, Rea, Peterson, Assad, Imanaga, Rolison, Thielbar, Aaron Civale, and Trent Thornton.

And if all of them are clicking and performing at full capacity, that’s not too shabby of a bullpen.

Of course, “if” is a huge word in baseball.

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The Chicago Cubs will have some major decisions to make this coming offseason. A good portion of the team will be eligible for free agency at the end of this season.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Nico Hoerner is the unsung MVP, yet again

At the completion of the 2026 season, the Cubs will see the following players from the current roster become free agents: Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, David Peterson, Kevin Gausman, Carson Kelly, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Michael Conforto, Tyrone Taylor, Ryan Rolison, Trent Thornton, Aaron Civale, Caleb Thielbar, and Hunter Harvey. Clay Holmes, meanwhile, has a $12 million player option for 2027 that he’s expected to turn down in favor of free agency.

That’s about half the team possibly moving on. It’s probably not feasible to add so many new names and simultaneously expect to compete for a championship.

So, obviously, the Cubs may like to keep at least some of their potentially outbound players. They’ve already worked on some of that by extending Nico Hoerner earlier in the season and by letting Jameson Taillon and Hoby Milner go. But there’s a lot more work to be done in that regard.

Some of the decisions are easy. They should try to hold on to Clay Holmes and at least one of their corner outfielders. Tyrone Taylor may also be a smart budget-minded keep.

Making a decision on Matthew Boyd

More News: Chicago Cubs coach makes startling Daniel Palencia revelation

One of the more difficult decisions will be regarding Matthew Boyd.

The 35-year-old lefty came to the Cubs prior to the 2025 season on a budget-friendly two-year, $29 million contract after working his way back from elbow surgery. He exceeded all expectations in his first year with the Cubs, pitching his first full season since 2019 and finishing the year with a 14-8 record and a 3.21 ERA.

This season hasn’t been great. Two IL stints have limited his innings and he’s had some consistency issues when healthy. But his 4.05 ERA is solid enough and his average of 5.2 innings per start is decent.

Doubts and questions

The problem is that there is legitimate doubt as to just how much more juice Boyd has in his arm, especially after a second straight season where he appears to be fading late in the year. Chicago will have a real need for an anchor in their rotation with the loss of so many starting pitchers and the insecurity surrounding those who remain on the roster. Boyd is probably not that guy at this point in his career.

Nick Deeds of Cubbies Crib sums up the Cubs’ dilemma in approaching the re-signing of Boyd:

“After signing a two-year deal with the Cubs in December 2024, Boyd was a revelation for them last year with a 3.21 ERA across 31 starts in his first healthy season since 2019. That alone was impressive, and this year Boyd has followed it up with a decent performance across 18 outings, good for a 4.05 ERA overall.

While the deal to bring him into the fold was undeniably a good one, it wouldn’t make sense to bring him back next year. Boyd is already 35 years old, and for the second year in a row he’s wearing down late in the season. This year, Boyd has a 5.20 ERA and 6.42 FIP in six starts since the calendar flipped to August. Last year, he posted a 5.16 ERA from July 28 onwards. Those late-season slumps are likely to only get worse as Boyd gets older, and the Cubs ought to let that be another club’s problem.”

Maybe if the Cubs could get him on another short-term deal at a similar price, a re-signing would be advisable. A nice one-year contract giving him a decent raise for 2027 could be a smart move for the team. But Boyd is probably going to be looking for more money in a longer deal.

At 35 years of age, with the mileage he has on his body, the Cubs would be smart to move on if they can’t get another budget deal from him.

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The Chicago Cubs have been MLB’s most prolific offense this season, and it hasn’t been particularly close. Chicago leads the league in runs scored by a wide margin, currently holding a 27-run advantage, while also becoming the first team to reach 200 home runs. The New York Yankees and Washington Nationals are the only other teams in the 190s.

Pete Crow-Armstrong has led the power surge with 39 home runs, but the Cubs have gotten plenty of production throughout the lineup. Alex Bregman and Seiya Suzuki have each gone deep 24 times, Ian Happ has 23, and Michael Busch and Dansby Swanson have each added 18.

On the other side of the ball, the Cubs have also surrendered more home runs than any team in MLB, allowing 215 so far this season. That’s three more than the second-place Athletics and a staggering 20 more than the Nationals.

The Chicago Cubs have hit 200 home runs this season, the most in baseball.

The Chicago Cubs have also allowed 215 home runs this season, the most in baseball.

— Jacob Zanolla (@jacobzanolla) September 5, 2026

Shota Imanaga’s struggles have been well documented, with a league leading 33 home runs allowed, but he’s hardly been alone. Colin Rea has surrendered 20, while former Cub Jameson Taillon has given up 25.

Together, these stats show just how important the home run ball has been to the Cubs this year.

The 2026 Chicago Cubs will live or die by the home run ball

For all the damage the Cubs have done with the long ball, their inability to keep the ball in the park has been just as glaring. Chicago has built one of MLB’s most dangerous offenses by consistently clearing the fences, but its pitching staff has allowed an MLB-high number of home runs.

That makes the home run ball a defining part of the Cubs’ season, and potentially one of the biggest factors in determining how far this team can go when the games matter most.

By reaching 200 home runs as an offense this season, the 2026 Cubs have joined an exclusive group in franchise history. This year’s team is now just the ninth team in Cubs history to reach the milestone, adding another impressive mark to what has been a historic offensive season.

The 2019 Cubs still hold the franchise record with 256 home runs, followed by the 2004 team with 235. Last year’s squad ranks third with 223, meaning this year’s Cubs have a legitimate chance to climb even higher on that list before the season is over.

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The Chicago Cubs won their second straight game on Friday, taking the series opener against the Miami Marlins at LoanDepot Park by a score of 6-1. In doing so, they re-took the top National League Wild Card spot from the Philadelphia Phillies by a half-game.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Edward Cabrera bullpen prep has begun

The win represented a lot of positive after some big-time negatives emerged at various points of their four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers.

First, for the second straight game, the bullpen held after giving off signs of full-on collapse over the last several days. On Friday, Aaron Civale pitched three shutout innings in relief of Shota Imanaga to close out the game.

That leads to Imanaga, himself, who had an outstanding showing after a shaky run of starts.

The offense, meanwhile, is still cooking, with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Alex Bregman killing things at the plate.

Nico Hoerner has been “nails”

More News: Chicago Cubs coach makes startling Daniel Palencia revelation

Then, there’s Nico Hoerner—the team’s every day second baseman who is now their every day shortstop after the oblique injury to Dansby Swanson.

Hoerner, a two-time Gold Glover at second, has moved over to shortstop and is playing the position like he wants a Gold Glove there as well.

The 29-year-old has already made an impact with his defense at his new spot, including an absolutely insane diving catch against the Brewers in Wednesday.

‘‘Does it surprise anybody?’’ Dansby Swanson said on Friday. ‘‘Of course, he’s going to make [the catch]. He’s so good at whatever he does, really. I’ve had zero doubts that this would be any different.’’

Hoerner’s excellence has the Cubs hardly missing the elite defensive wizardry of Swanson.

Not missing Dansby Swanson?

‘‘It doesn’t really feel like much is really different,’’ Crow-Armstrong told media on Thursday. ‘‘No shade to Dansby. Nico’s showing everybody that he can be a big-league shortstop at the everyday clip, as well. Nico’s been nails.’’

‘‘If there’s another guy in this league I want playing shortstop, it’s Nico Hoerner, so there’s not much to complain about with that,’’ first baseman Michael Busch told reporters late last month. ‘‘To be honest, I don’t think we’re missing much.’’

‘‘We’re pretty lucky, as a team, to have that as the backup option,’’ left fielder Ian Happ also said.

And offensively, Hoerner has also excelled of late, completely turning around a season that had seen him underachieve at the plate until about mid-June.

In the 63 games since June 24, he’s hit .298 with 4 home runs and 27 RBIs and has scored 21 runs. On the season, he’s bumped up his batting average from an uncharacteristically feeble .235 to his current .263.

Last season, Hoerner became a spark plug for the Cubs offense in the last part of the regular season and into the playoffs and it looks like things are trending in that direction for him again. If so, Chicago will be in a nice position to make some real noise in the postseason.

It’s also looking like he’s once again an unsung MVP of the Cubs roster, standing somewhat in the shadows of the flashier talents making all the headlines, but serving as a glue that keeps the whole team together.

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The Chicago Cubs may or may not be having second thoughts when it comes to trading for pitcher Edward Cabrera this past offseason, but they surely can’t be pleased with how this season has turned out for him.

More News: Chicago Cubs coach makes startling Daniel Palencia revelation

The hard-throwing righty was acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins that cost them their No. 1 prospect, Owen Caissie, along with two infield prospects. Right now, it’s looking like the Marlins may have gotten the better end of the deal.

Cabrera has spent the majority of this 2026 campaign injured. Even when healthy, he’s mostly looked flat and/or ineffective. On the season, he’s sporting a 5.68 ERA through 15 starts and 76 innings pitched.

His most recent struggles involved an extended IL stint from a hamstring strain and then a one-game return before being placed back on the IL with a blister issue.

Cabrera, to the bullpen

More News: Chicago Cubs: Justin Steele’s rehab sparks ‘Hail Mary’ bullpen hope

This time around, talk about a Cabrera return isn’t centering around a return to the starting rotation. There’s just not enough time left in the season to nurture him back into a starter role and work around whatever physical issues he may be having related to the workload. Instead, a spot in the bullpen seems to be the target for him, at least for the rest of this year.

Cabrera’s stuff and his ability to generate swings and misses would be extremely useful in the bullpen, especially in late-inning, high-leverage situations. For the Cubs, who’ve had a multitude of injury-related bullpen issues, another strong, healthy arm would be an absolute godsend.

Apparently, the team is already working on getting him used to his new role.

Per Chicago Cubs beat reporter Tony Andracki:

“Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said on @thescorechicago the Cubs are having Edward Cabrera work in a simulated situation tomorrow, entering in the middle of an inning.

Cubs are trying to get him used to experiences as a reliever before he comes back to help the team in bullpen.

Cabrera has only made 2 relief appearances in his MLB career, so it’s a very new thing for him.

Cubs are planning to use him in short bursts as reliever to protect him from the blister issues that have cropped up all season and hope he can help a much-maligned bullpen.”

“Hail Mary” bullpen options

Cabrera didn’t look great in his first rehab appearance as a reliever on Tuesday. He gave up one run on four hits in an inning pitched, although he did strike out two. The hope is that his issues were purely the result of rust.

As Cabrera is being prepped for a relief role, the Cubs also have veterans Shelby Miller and Justin Steele working through their own rehab assignments in the minors, also with the idea that if they do return to the major league team this season, it’ll be in the bullpen.

These are the kinds of “Hail Mary” options the team has been forced into considering as a result of a bullpen that has been devastated by injury and, most recently, sudden mass instability—just as they make their way to the playoffs.

Over the offseason, decisions will then have to be made about Cabrera and his permanent role on the team.

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The Chicago Cubs need Daniel Palencia to be Daniel Palencia. They need the hard-throwing right-hander to be the same guy who was brought up from Iowa in mid-April last season and proceeded to earn his way into being the team’s full-time closer by the end of May.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Justin Steele’s rehab sparks ‘Hail Mary’ bullpen hope

In 2025, Palencia posted 22 saves and an ERA of 2.91 through 54 appearances. Excluding a bit of a late-season fade and an IL stint, he was an elite-level late-inning arm from the moment he was brought up.

This year, however, has been a way different story.

There was hope after his dominant performance at the World Baseball Classic representing Team Venezuela that he had secured his position as a world class closer. Instead, he’s struggled with injury throughout the season and, upon his return from a second IL placement, he’s been getting rocked.

In five outings since his Chicago return, he has a 14.55 ERA, giving up 7 hits—including 2 home runs—in 4.1 innings pitched.

Obviously, this Palencia stumble is a serious cause for concern on a Cubs team dealing with multiple pitching issues all at once, including what appears to be an almost full-scale collapse of the bullpen.

Palencia rushed back?

More News: Chicago Cubs: The secret to PCA’s success may be surprisingly simple

Now, there appears to be a hint of a confession that maybe the Cubs, feeling the burning need to get some impact arms back onto the major league roster, possibly rushed Palencia back to active duty before he was absolutely ready.

In a recent interview with 104.3 The Score, Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy made the startling revelation that all was not right with Palencia during his most recent rehab assignment:

“I think right now, honestly, it’s a little bit more of a confidence thing. He wasn’t feeling great mechanically, I think, as he was getting back during his rehab and trying to kind of get things in sync. And some of that does translate into not having the confidence of driving the ball where you want it or you expect it to be in the past.

I do think, for him, when he’s right mechanically, he’s driving the fastball through the top of the strike zone and getting the slider down…He’s a guy that needs more consistent reps and we’re going to continue to give him opportunities to work through those things He’s shown that he can be a dominant reliever in this game.”

No other options?

Although Hottovy did say that he saw some flashes of Palencia’s old self in his latest outing, there’s still the underlying reality that we’re just not seeing the 26-year-old in optimal form, even as he’s being tossed into important games in the midst of a push to make the playoffs.

To be fair to the Cubs, though, it has to be pointed out that healthy, viable major league-ready arms are in very short supply for the team right now after waves upon waves of injury have repeatedly leveled their pitching plans.

At the moment, even an “off” Daniel Palencia is probably a better option than much of what’s currently available to them.

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Seven months ago, the Chicago Cubs saw a noticeably improved Ben Brown during Spring Training. The addition of a sinker over the offseason generated plenty of buzz, and a strong spring ultimately helped Brown secure one of the Cubs’ final spots on the Opening Day roster.

That opportunity came despite his 5.95 ERA over 106 innings the previous season, as the new weapon in his arsenal looked like the perfect complement to his fastball and curveball. That proved to be the case early in 2026, as Brown gave the Cubs exactly what they needed while the pitching staff dealt with a long list of injuries: length and results.

Through 20 games this season and 68.0 innings pitched, Brown posted an astonishingly low 1.85 ERA. More importantly, opposing hitters were no longer able to sit on his fastball, as the addition of a sinking pitch forced them to account for another offering with significant movement while still respecting his devastating curveball.

Unfortunately, Brown’s breakout season came to a halt in early June when he was diagnosed with stress fractures in his neck, an issue that had plagued him in the past. The prescribed treatment was rest, which Brown followed before gradually progressing back into pitching activities. However, just as he appeared to be nearing a return, Brown began experiencing discomfort again.

Chicago Cubs breakout pitcher Ben Brown will not throw again in 2026

According to Jordan Bastian of MLB.com, Brown sought multiple medical opinions after the neck pain returned. Ultimately, doctors determined that his neck had not healed enough to safely continue pushing through the discomfort, bringing an end to his 2026 season and preventing him from pitching for the Cubs again this year.

For Brown, injury ending his 2026 season is undoubtedly a disappointing way to close out what had been a breakout campaign. Hopefully he can return at full strength in 2027, and keep the pain away, where he will look to build on the momentum of his impressive start from this season.

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The Chicago Cubs bullpen appears to be in the midst of a full-on collapse after yet another poor showing in Wednesday’s 9-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.

More News: Chicago Cubs staring down harsh reality after Jacob Webb injury

Worst of all for the team, de facto closer Jacob Webb took a line drive off the bat of Christian Yelich in the ninth inning and had to leave the game. X-rays were later revealed to be negative, but the team is nonetheless facing the reality of losing the veteran righty for a period of time.

The injury removes one more key component to a pitching staff that has been besieged by injury all season.

Recently, though, Webb has been struggling and hasn’t looked to be the same pitcher who stepped up earlier in the season to be a source of stability for an injury-plagued bullpen. Regardless, the loss will be a big deal for what is likely to be a playoff-bound team.

The late-inning bullpen guys, as a whole, have been in a bad place recently. Closer tandem Webb and Daniel Palencia have a beyond-ugly combined 19.91 ERA over their last 8 appearances. Ryan Zeferjahn, who was picked up at the trade deadline to be a late-inning asset, has been touched up repeatedly.

But some are grasping at the hope of a returning Cubs ace to maybe step into a prominent bullpen role down the stretch and into the postseason.

Justin Steele’s first rehab outing

More News: Chicago Cubs: The secret to PCA’s success may be surprisingly simple

On Wednesday, Justin Steele made his first rehab appearance for the Iowa Cubs and looked about as good as any pitcher could be expected to look after going through what he has gone through.

The 31-year-old southpaw threw 36 pitches in a 1.2 inning appearance where he allowed 1 earned run on 4 hits and no walks, striking out two hitters. He averaged 90.3 mph on his fastball and 89.7 mph on his slider, which was, as expected, below his pre-injury average.

Steele had UCL surgery in April of 2025 and was expected back as soon as June of this year. However a flexor strain killed the momentum of his comeback and forced him right back into recovery. It’s been quite the frustrating ride for Steele, the Cubs, and the fans.

Still, just the very image of Steele pitching in a competitive situation again was enough to get many fans wondering aloud whether he could be brought back in time for the playoffs this season, at least in a bullpen role to help secure a roughed-up relief corps.

“I’m excited for him that he’s getting back out there,” Cubs president Jed Hoyer told media Tuesday. “As it relates to this team, we’ll see. We’re not in development mode at this point.

“If he can come back and he can help us, he’s going to come back and he’s going to help us. If there’s rust and he needs more time, it’s not the time to do that.

“I’m very open-minded, but I don’t know how this is going to go.”

A Cubs ‘Hail Mary’ bullpen strategy

With Webb injured and Palencia—along with several others—struggling, could the Cubs bullpen be forced into a Hail Mary-type bullpen maneuver to help with their playoff run?

With Steele starting his rehab assignment and veteran Shelby Miller already a few appearances into his own rehab assignment, could the Cubs count on two veteran talents maybe stepping up to fortify a stressed and strained bullpen? A starting rotation spot for Steele is not realistic, but a good inning here and there out of the bullpen could help the team.

Something like this is certainly within the realm of possibility, even though the Cubs themselves are pretty clear in emphasizing that the goal for both Steele and Miller is a healthy full return next season, not a rush to contribute this season.

But at least there’s a marginal Plan B for this bullpen mess. Although, admittedly, it’s very marginal at this point.

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The Chicago Cubs just can’t seem to catch a break this season and Wednesday’s 9-5 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers was an especially tough one to deal with.

More News: Chicago Cubs: The secret to PCA’s success may be surprisingly simple

For one, the team did manage to touch up Brewers phenom Jacob Misiorowski for 5 earned runs over 4 innings pitched. Getting to Milwaukee’s ace should’ve set up the Cubs for victory. But starter David Peterson struggled throughout his outing, ultimately allowing 6 earned runs over 3.2 innings—and then the bullpen once again failed to shut things down from there.

After Trent Thornton and Ryan Rolison delivered 2.1 innings of no-run ball, Daniel Palencia came in and struggled in his fourth straight outing since coming back from the IL, allowing 2 hits and a run in his inning. Then, the Cubs suffered through, arguably, their worst bit of misfortune from the defeat.

Jacob Webb’s injury

More News: Chicago Cubs comment on ugly bullpen collapse: “We’ve got to pitch better”

Jacob Webb, working in the ninth inning, was hit in the forearm by a 102.5 mph line drive off the bat of Christian Yelich and had to leave the game.

Later that evening, manager Craig Counsell clarified that his pitcher was hit in the “meat part” of the forearm and that x-rays were negative.

“He’s got a little bit of pain, and he’s got a pretty big bruise — it’s going to be a big bruise — so he’s a little sore, but x-rays are negative,” Counsell told reporters.

The lack of any break or fracture is a positive, but, as of this writing, there’s no word on how long the righty will be out of commission or whether an IL stint is in the works.

The Webb injury gave fans flashbacks to an entire season of pitching injuries that has hobbled the team and forced them into culling fringe arms from every possible source just to maintain a full staff.

Up until recently, the 33-year-old Webb had been one of the few pillars of stability on the pitching staff, working his way into being the team’s de facto closer with a 2.21 ERA as recently as August 21. In recent outings, however, he’s struggled mightily. Over his last four appearances, he has a 21.00 ERA.

Still, losing Webb would take away the possibility of a comeback the Cubs need to see happen in their bullpen, especially with Palencia—and several others—struggling.

The realities facing a struggling bullpen

If Webb is gone for any significant period of time, as the playoffs approach, it will give them one less option for late-inning relief. At this point of the season, though, Chicago is stuck with what they have for the most part and must work at trying to turn things around internally. That means putting their guys right back out there to work through the rough times.

“These are the guys we need to pitch well,” Counsell said before Wednesday’s game. “The way to do that is to get them back out there and have them pitch again.

“You get beat. And it’s no fun, and it stinks. But if you’re not confident, that’s how you get your confidence back. If you’re struggling with something, that’s how you find it. You find it out there on the field, when the competition’s going on and the other side’s trying to get you. These are guys we count on, and we need them.”

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The Chicago Cubs took a gamble back in 2021 when they traded All-Star shortstop Javier Baez and pitcher Trevor Williams for a 19-year-old prospect recovering from shoulder surgery, who some felt was a bit undersized to ever become a a true power hitter in the majors.

More News: Chicago Cubs comment on ugly bullpen collapse: “We’ve got to pitch better”

That prospect was Pete Crow-Armstrong and, well, that bet has paid off very handsomely.

As of this writing, “PCA” is slashing .280/.374/.569 with 38 home runs, 91 RBIs and 32 stolen bases while holding a MLB-leading 8.3 WAR, according to ESPN.

The 24-year-old’s season has been historically good, not only earning him recognition among all-time Cubs greats, but also among the legendary names of the sport like Babe Ruth and Micky Mantle.

Always considered an elite talent with a very high ceiling, Crow-Armstrong put it all together earlier this season when he seemingly flipped a switch in his development. He suddenly developed a discerning eye at the plate and the discipline to change from someone who hacks at everything to someone willing to wait on the right pitches.

In August, alone, he’s hit 14 home runs and has driven in 28 runs as a motor of the Cubs’ prodigious offense.

PCA flipped a switch in his development

More News: Chicago Cubs now share top Wild Card spot, and are trending downward

His sudden maturity has stunned a lot of people, even Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.

“The defense and the base running (are) so special that I probably take it for granted at times,” Hoyer recently told The Athletic. “But watching the consistency of the at-bats, that’s been an amazing transformation. A lot of coaches deserve a lot of credit. And Pete deserves the lion’s share of the credit for sticking with it.

“His decision-making in the box — I’ve never seen a player develop at this rate. This is a quantum leap in terms of his decision-making. He has a higher OPS against lefties than righties at this point. He’s had some at-bats against great lefty relievers, and he’s laying off pitches just a little bit outside. That was unimaginable one year ago.”

One factor that could be at the heart of PCA’s growth is security.

The secret to his success?

Crow Armstrong was signed to a 6-year, $115 million extension by the Cubs at the beginning of this season and will now stay in the city he’s grown to love through at least the 2032 season.

For some players, security can lead to complacency. For others, it takes pressure off and lets them focus on just becoming a better ballplayer. PCA clearly falls into the latter category—and he’s been letting people know that.

“But it always came back to: I’m going to be comfortable signing whatever deal, really, just because I’m going to be able to sleep at night, knowing that I’m just waking up and playing,” Crow-Armstrong told The Athletic shortly before this year’s All-Star game. “I’m always going to have that outlook.”

And Hoyer concurs. The extension helped unlock the young star’s next level while, also, making sure the team kept their prized asset in place for a long time.

“That was a big part of the logic of the deal, sort of giving him the comfort of, ‘You’re here. You’re good. You’re going to be all set financially,’ ” Hoyer said. “For us, it’s a cornerstone for a really good defensive team to have a great center fielder. Knowing we could lock that up for a long time made sense.

“With the person he is and the way the fans respond to him, that makes it all easier to do it. It’s a win-win.”

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The Chicago Cubs have fallen from their top NL Wild Card spot and are now trailing the Philadelphia Phillies by a game after their 9-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.

More News: The Chicago Cubs might not have a single starting pitcher heading into 2027

The loss to their NL Central Division rivals, who are now 8 games ahead of the Cubs in the division, was especially concerning since it highlighted one of the main concerns facing this team as it works its way to a playoff berth.

The bullpen has been held together all season by hopes, wishes, overachievement and the sage guidance of manager Craig Counsell. When early plans collapsed and the bullpen became stressed and strained by injury, a small legion of relievers was ushered in and out to assume needed roles and get outs. Up until fairly recently, it’s mostly worked out for the team.

Now, it’s looking like reality is starting to hit hard.

Cubs bullpen problems

More News: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s greatness continues to force history talk

Over their last 11 games, Cubs relievers have a 5.97 ERA. On Tuesday, the bullpen flat-out collapsed, inheriting a 3-1 lead with one out in the sixth and proceeding to give up 6 runs after that.

Daniel Palenicia’s disastrous performance was the first and most noteworthy bullpen fail of the evening—giving up 2 earned runs on 2 hits and a balk. The former closer is now 4 games into his big league return after an extended stint on the IL and is sporting an ugly 16.22 ERA over 3.1 innings.

“I’ve been missing some locations. I need to execute better on my pitches,” Palencia told reporters after the game. “It’s been tough for sure, but this is baseball. I’m gonna have bad days. This is not me. Like I said, I want the ball tomorrow. I’m gonna be ready, and that’s it.”

Ryan Zeferjahn, Caleb Thielbar, and Tyler Ferguson were also awful in their turns after Palencia, giving up 4 earned runs in 3 innings.

The Cubs’ bullpen has actually been trending downward for awhile. Some would argue that they’re now playing down to their actual level after months of performing above their level.

Aldo Soto of Sports Mockery recently summarized the Cubs’ plight and the need for a bullpen turnaround:

“Overall, as a bullpen dating back to Aug. 11, the Cubs rank 22nd in MLB with a 4.81 ERA. During that stretch, the Cubs have five blown saves, tied with two other teams for the most. This bullpen is starting to give me those 2023 vibes, when you have a bunch of guys who were great for a long time, but then lost steam and broke down in September. The problem right now is that the Cubs don’t have many other options. Palencia has to be good. Zeferjahn has to be good. Jacob Webb has to be good. If they don’t turn it around fast, then it could get very ugly for the Cubs down the stretch.”

Hoyer, Counsell speak on bullpen situation

Right now, the bullpen as a unit is bad and wholly unreliable—and that doesn’t bode well for Chicago’s chances in the playoffs.

But there’s still some internal belief that things will turn around—at least according to the public talking points from coaching and the front office.

“It’s been a really good bullpen throughout the year,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer told media. “That is the nature of bullpens. Hopefully, they can wipe away [some bad outings of late]. Recency would say they need to step up and perform the way they did the rest of the year, but I don’t think you would’ve asked me [about the bullpen] seven games ago.”

Counsell was mare pragmatic in his response, working under the reality that this is who the Cubs have and who, also, they have to count on.

“We’ve got to pitch better, there’s no question,” Counsell said. “But these are the guys, man. This is them. So we’ve got to help them get better, and we’ve got to get outs.”

The post Chicago Cubs comment on ugly bullpen collapse: “We’ve got to pitch better” appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago does not usually get a month like this.

The city’s sports calendar tends to run in shifts. Baseball fades, football takes over, hockey and basketball arrive once the leaves turn. Somebody is always rebuilding. Somebody is always already eliminated. The idea of four or five Chicago teams mattering in the same three-week window has been closer to a fantasy than a schedule.

September 2026 is different. Both baseball teams are heading toward October. The Bears open a season carrying genuine expectations for the first time in a generation. The Blackhawks are about to reopen camp with Patrick Kane back in the room. The Sky are closing out a season that will define their offseason.

Here is what each of them is actually playing for, and which dates decide it.

The Cubs Are Now Fighting for Something They Thought They Had

For most of the summer, the Cubs held the National League’s top wild card spot with room to spare. That cushion is gone.

Chicago enters September at 78-60 and level with the Philadelphia Phillies at the top of the wild card standings. A lead that reached five games at one point has evaporated, largely because the Phillies went on a tear while the Cubs dropped four of five series. The Padres and Diamondbacks are close enough behind to matter too.

The distinction is not academic. The top wild card team hosts the entire first round. The second one travels. For a club built around a strong home record and one of the best defenses in baseball, playing that series at Wrigley Field rather than Citizens Bank Park is worth real games.

The division is a different conversation. Milwaukee has held the NL Central in a vice grip all year and the maths no longer favors a comeback, even with seven meetings left between the two clubs, including a season-closing series in Milwaukee. Manager and front office alike have been careful not to frame the month as a division chase.

What they do have is pitching that finally looks whole. Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes both arrived at the deadline. Pete Crow-Armstrong has spent the season in the MVP conversation. Alex Bregman has provided the middle-of-the-order production the roster lacked. Whether the rotation holds up is the single biggest variable in how far this team goes.

The White Sox Are Chasing the Most Improbable Division Title in Years

Two years ago the White Sox lost 121 games. Last season they finished under .500 for the third straight year and were eliminated by early September.

They enter this September in first place.

Chicago sits at 73-65 and holds a three-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central, currently slotted as the American League’s second seed and in line for a first-round bye. They added a veteran outfielder from Philadelphia to strengthen the group for the stretch. National coverage has spent the last week trying to work out whether this qualifies as the most unlikely division win in modern baseball history, which tells you how far outside the projections this team has landed.

The schedule gives them control of their own fate. A three-game set against Cleveland from September 14 to 16 is the pivot point of their month. One win there secures the tiebreaker against their closest pursuer, which in a race this tight could end up deciding the whole thing.

For a fan base that has spent three seasons watching a teardown, the question has flipped entirely. It is no longer whether the rebuild works. It is whether the rebuild is already finished.

The Bears Open With Expectations Attached

Ben Johnson’s first year in Chicago produced 11 wins, a division title and a playoff run that ended in the divisional round. His second begins on September 13 in Carolina.

Caleb Williams enters year three as a legitimate MVP candidate after the way he finished last season, and Johnson has treated him accordingly. Williams did not take a snap in the preseason opener. The coaching staff spent August prioritizing practice volume and health over exhibition reps, which is the behavior of a team that believes it already knows what it has.

What it does not know is the back end of the defense. Ryan Poles has publicly raised concerns about Kyler Gordon’s availability for the season, the safety pairing of Coby Bryant and Dillon Thieneman is still unsettled, and Ozzy Trapilo’s return from injury has its own timeline. Those are the questions that decide whether a good offense turns into a serious team.

September stacks the schedule against them early. Carolina on the road, Minnesota at Soldier Field on September 20, then Philadelphia on Monday Night Football on September 28. Three weeks in, Chicago will know exactly what this team is.

The Sky Close Out a Season of Transition

The Sky are the one Chicago team without much left to play for. Tyler Marsh’s group sits at 15-23 and fifth in the Eastern Conference with the WNBA schedule paused for the World Cup break.

That is an improvement on last year’s 10-34, but it comes in a season reshaped by Angel Reese’s departure to Atlanta, where she has continued to put up the kind of numbers that made her the face of the franchise in Chicago. Following her from a distance has been a strange experience for Sky supporters.

The real business is the offseason. What Chicago does with its cap space and its draft position will say more about the next three years than anything left on the 2026 schedule.

Hockey and Basketball Are Already Warming Up

The Blackhawks reopen camp this month with the most interesting roster they have had since the rebuild started. Patrick Kane is back on a two-year deal. Connor Bedard is entering another season as the organization’s centerpiece. Kyle Davidson had an active summer, and the general consensus around the team is that the excuses have run out.

The Bulls are further out, with camp arriving at the end of the month, but Matas Buzelis has spent the offseason making it clear he intends to be a problem for people.

Where the Betting Markets Fit In

A month this crowded is also the busiest stretch of the year for Chicago sports markets. Illinois has had legal mobile sports betting since 2020, and a September featuring two baseball playoff races, an NFL opener and the start of hockey camp produces a volume of local action that no other point on the calendar comes close to matching.

The wider online gaming market has changed alongside it. A growing share of players now fund accounts with digital currency rather than cards or bank transfers, mostly for the speed of deposits and withdrawals. That shift has brought a flood of new platforms, and the quality varies enormously. Anyone weighing how to choose a reliable eth casino for online crypto gaming should be checking licensing, published withdrawal times and the platform’s operating history before anything else, because the headline bonus figure is usually the least informative number on the page.

Worth saying plainly: this is entertainment, not a revenue plan. Anyone for whom it stops feeling that way should step back and look for support.

The Dates That Decide the Month

• September 13 — Bears open the season in Carolina
• September 14-16 — White Sox host Cleveland with the AL Central tiebreaker on the line
• September 20 — Minnesota visits Soldier Field
• September 28 — Bears host Philadelphia on Monday Night Football
• September 29 to October 1 — Cubs close the regular season in Milwaukee

Five teams, one city, three weeks. Chicago has spent a long time waiting for a September that actually matters. This is it.

The post Chicago’s Crowded September: What the Bears, Cubs, White Sox and Sky Are All Playing For at Once appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The 2026 Chicago Cubs have well-established strengths on both offense and defense. As of August 31, they lead the Majors in runs scored and walks while ranking third in home runs, giving them one of baseball’s most productive lineups. On the other side of the ball, their defense has once again been a major strength, always keeping them in games and allowing them to have multiple ways to win games.

That said, the Cubs are no slouches on the basepaths either, ranking 10th in the Majors in stolen bases this season. Where they really separate themselves, however, is their efficiency. As highlighted by Nugget Chef over the weekend, Chicago leads the league in stolen-base efficiency, showing just how rarely the Cubs give away outs.

Yesterday, the Cubs passed the Phillies for stolen base efficiency this season, with Chicago now sitting at a 84.9% success rate in 2026.

That means the Cubs have:

– Best team offense (by wRC+)
– Best team defense (by OAA, DRS, errors)
– Highest stolen base success rate

— nugget chef (@jayhaykid) August 30, 2026

Interestingly, the post was designed to highlight three areas in which the Cubs excel, but one crucial piece is noticeably absent: pitching. That omission is worth paying attention to, because how Chicago performs on the mound could ultimately be its biggest X-factor over the remainder of the season.

Pitching performance will be the Chicago Cubs biggest X-factor the remainder of the 2026 season

Entering the final day of August, the Cubs own a 4.15 team ERA, which ranks exactly in the middle of the 30 MLB teams. The advanced metrics paint a less encouraging picture, as their 4.38 expected ERA is even higher. That suggests Chicago’s pitching performance has actually been worse than what has been seen on the field.

Ultimately, the Cubs have checked nearly every box needed to be a legitimate postseason threat. Their offense is among the best in baseball, their defense remains elite and they consistently make smart decisions on the basepaths. The biggest question now rests on the pitching staff.

That said, the Cubs did rebuild their pitching staff at the trade deadline, and also are starting to see others get healthy. High octane arm Daniel Palencia returned earlier this month, Shelby Miller’s last hurdle before amazingly returning following Tommy John surgery is pitching on back-to-back days, and Justin Steele has been working towards returning in a bullpen role.

Chicago’s ability to get consistent performances from its arms could determine whether this season ends with a deep playoff run or an early exit. If the pitching can rise to the occasion, the Cubs have the foundation to be a dangerous October team.

The post Stat shows how big of an X-factor pitching will be for Cubs appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong has claimed his spot a top the betting odds for the NL MVP race. As we wrap up the month of August, Crow-Armstrong is the favorite to win the NL MVP award, overtaking the previous favorite Shohei Ohtani.

With a month left in the season, Crow-Armstrong is in great shape as he is hoping to help lead the Cubs in the playoffs. He’s also cementing his status as a star on the national level as well, drawing more attention from analysts and those around the game.

He’s also seeing his trading cards skyrocket.

With the popularity of trading cards has taken off since the year 2020 as the growth has been more than steady in every year since then. With Crow-Armstrong looking like he’s set to win the NL MVP, the market for his cards is going to a whole new level. And one just broke a record.

Pete Crow-Armstrong rookie patch sets record

Right now, Crow-Armstrong’s rookie cards are taking off as a hot item. But one that recently sold broke the record for most expensive PCA cards.

Per Sports Card Investor, the 2024 Topps Dynasty Gold Pete Crow-Armstrong Rookie Patch Auto 1-of-1 just sold for $66,000 on Fanatics Collect, making it his most expensive sale ever.  Rookie patch cards are a hot item but the 1-of-1 version is the grail that everyone was after.

The seller of the card also made a pretty penny thanks to Crow-Armstrong’s success. Just back in July 2025, the same card sold on Fanatics Collect for $26,700. That’s a jump of close to $40,000 in a year.

A NEW RECORD FOR PCA CARDS

The 2024 Topps Dynasty Gold Pete Crow-Armstrong Rookie Patch Auto 1-of-1 just sold for $66,000 on Fanatics Collect, making it his most expensive sale ever. 

This same card sold for $26.7K back in July 2025, a $39.3K jump in just over a year pic.twitter.com/lWNaCRCEI9

— Sports Card Investor (@SportsCardInv) August 29, 2026

There’s no telling what that card will be worth if he does win the NL MVP. It could go up even more if Crow-Armstrong can continue this success into next season and beyond.

It’s not just rookie cards that are catching fire, either. Insert cards, variants, and numbered cards among others are also taking off. The price for his “Homefield Advantage” cards both rookie and non are also on the move.

The post Pete Crow-Armstrong card sets new record with sale appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs came into the 2026 season as the heavy favorites to win the NL Central Division—and there was plenty of reason to support such an idea.

More News: The Chicago Cubs might not have a single starting pitcher heading into 2027

Last year’s NL Central champs, the Milwaukee Brewers, had traded away starting pitcher Freddy Peralta and were missing a few other components to their successful 2025 team.

Chicago, meanwhile, had added third baseman Alex Bregman, starting pitcher Edward Cabrera, and almost a whole new bullpen against the subtraction of the disappointing Kyle Tucker.

And for awhile, it sure looked as though the Cubs had finally overtaken the Brewers as top dogs of the division. Then, as usually seems to be the case these days, Milwaukee just flipped a switch and ran away with things.

As things stand right now, the Brewers lead the second place Cubs by 8 games with just 25 games to go in the season. Despite having 7 head-to-head games remaining, it’s highly unlikely that the Cubs will overtake their division rivals.

But over the course of the season, as the race for the division got further and further out of reach, the Cubs could at least take solace in the fact that they had a commanding lead atop the NL Wild Card standings.

But now, after a 3-7 run in their last 10 games, that solace is gone.

The Phillies have caught the Cubs

More News: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s greatness continues to force history talk

The hot Philadelphia Phillies are now sharing that top Wild Card spot with the Cubs and trending upwards, just as the Cubs have started to fade.

Stephen J. Nesbitt and Chad Jennings of The Athletic laid out Chicago’s schedule realities and how they don’t really favor the Cubs as the final leg of the race to the postseason begins:

“The Cubs would have to overcome extreme odds (3.1 percent) to overtake the Brewers for the NL Central crown. But if it’s going to happen, it’ll start here with seven head-to-head matchups in the next 10 days.

The Cubs have lost four of six to the Brewers this season. They’ve been beaten twice by Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski, who is slated to face them in both of the upcoming series.

The rest of the schedule doesn’t get a whole lot easier for the Cubs: Marlins (twice), Braves, Red Sox. The only sub-.500 opponents remaining on the Cubs’ schedule are the Pirates and Reds.”

The playoff picture

While, in theory, there’s not a whole lot of advantage coming from being the first Wild Card seed over the second, in this case it could mean the Cubs getting stuck playing the Dodgers in the first round of the playoffs in Los Angeles—and that certainly wouldn’t be ideal.

Mentally, being overtaken by the Phillies could also take its toll on a team previously brimming with confidence and swagger.

Barring some crazy turn of events, the Cubs will make postseason play. But given how they look right now, they just aren’t clicking like a team destined to go far in the playoffs. The bullpen has been off and the starting pitching has been inconsistent.

There’s still plenty of time to turn things around and get hot at just the right time, though. And the time to make that run is now, with the Brewers coming to Wrigley.

The post Chicago Cubs now share top Wild Card spot, and are trending downward appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are working their way towards a second straight postseason run, despite a recent rough stretch and a tightening of the NL Wild Card race.

More News: Pete Crow-Armstrong’s greatness continues to force history talk

Although things aren’t looking quite as secure as they were maybe two weeks ago, the team is still expected to at least have a spot in the playoffs and, therefore, a chance to make some noise.

But after this season, there’s a real situation brewing—an extreme dark cloud that could keep them from a third straight postseason run.

Simply put, the Cubs aren’t guaranteed a single healthy starting pitching for their rotation in 2027.

That’s certainly a gut punch of a reality check.

The brutal reality

More News: Chicago Cubs face bad news buzz on free agency-bound pitcher

First, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, Kevin Gausman, and David Peterson are all eligible for free agency at the end of this season. As of right now, there’s no inkling that the Cubs are interested in re-signing any of them to the kind of multi-year deal they’d want.

Clay Holmes, meanwhile, has a $12 million player option for 2027. Most expect him to not exercise that option and become a free agent, where he’s currently being regarded one of the top pitchers on the market below Tarik Skubal.

So, right there, that removes five starting pitching options for next season.

Emerging ace Cade Horton had Tommy John surgery this April and is expected to miss much—if not most—of 2027.

Justin Steele had his own elbow surgery last year and suffered a setback in his recovery this season. Nobody can guarantee what kind of shape he’ll be in for 2027.

Ben Brown was having a breakthrough season and had made himself the de facto ace of the rotation right up until being shut down due to his recurring neck issue. A setback in his recovery has put the rest of this season in doubt and, realistically, the rest of his career as a reliable every-fifth-day starting pitcher in doubt as well.

Edward Cabrera has been placed on the shelf on three separate occasions this season and, even when healthy, has not been anywhere near a productive member of the rotation. There’s currently talk about shifting him over to the bullpen, at least temporarily, until a path to keeping him healthy can be figured out.

Rea, Assad, Garrett as “maybe” options

Colin Rea and Javier Assad have been solid swingmen who’ve remained healthy and productive as rotation fill-ins and long-relief options. But, based on the team’s roster moves involving the two, the Cubs clearly don’t have a hefty dose of faith when it comes to giving them the ball as full-time starters.

Trade deadline acquisition Braxton Garrett is a legit wild card in the race for a 2027 rotation spot. Before undergoing the second elbow surgery of his professional career, the lefty had a promising run as a starting pitcher for the Miami Marlins. After missing all of 2025 and much of 2026, the Cubs are hoping that he begins 2027 at full strength. The operative word there, of course, is “hoping.”

For those keeping track, all of this adds up to the Cubs having precisely zero secure, high-end rotation options for the 2027 season. There will be several “maybe” and “possibly” names to keep an eye on, but that’s it.

Chicago will have a lot of money coming off the books this offseason—maybe as much as a nine-figure sum. So, there’s hope that the Cubs will swerve from their usual policy against spending big on free agent pitchers.

For now, though, things look really bad.

The post The Chicago Cubs might not have a single starting pitcher heading into 2027 appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs’ pitching woes continued Sunday night as starter Shota Imanaga got tagged for six runs, including three more homers. Imanaga has surrendered 33 homers in 150.1 innings pitched on the season. That’s a 1.98 HR/9.

One has to wonder if Imanaga is pitching himself out of the rotation, especially with September callups coming. Note that Javier Assad has been starting games in Iowa and is staying stretched out. Assad has a 3.46 ERA, 1.1 WHIP, and 4.97 FIP in 83.1 MLB appearances this year.

Per Craig Counsell, he’s not getting the pull yet. However, one still has to wonder if he is on thin ice.

Craig Counsell said Shota Imanaga’s spot in the rotation/job is not in jeopardy at the moment. Team wants to help him get right.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) August 31, 2026

Where Imanaga stands right now

If one is looking at some very basic stats, it does not look like Imanaga is worthy of losing a rotation spot right now. He sports a 4.01 ERA, 8.86 K/9, 2.1 BB/9, 1.14 WHIP, and even an xFIP of 3.89. None of those numbers are statistically bad. Not to mention he’s had some effective stretches this season. How does someone with a respectable ERA, solid strikeout/whiff rates, and good WHIP feel like he’s been much worse?

With that said, the home runs are outrageous. Even for a flyball pitcher who was going to give up a handful regardless. His actual FIP this year is 4.79 and is in the sub-20th percentile in Barrel %. He’s given up 91 homers in 463.1 career innings. Even when he was doing well in 2024, he was giving up a lot of homers. Per OptaSTATS, he has more starts than any other lefty pitcher in MLB history where he’s surrendered three homers this season.

Tonight marks the 6th time this year Shota Imanaga has allowed 3 or more homers in a game.

That's the most by any lefty in a single season in MLB history. pic.twitter.com/ZTc0dHSpe3

— OptaSTATS (@OptaSTATS) August 31, 2026

Still, how thin of ice is he on? He is not a starter candidate for a potential Wild Card series; that’s a given. The thing is, he’s often a ticking time bomb. He can roll for a few innings, and then two bloops and a blast change the entire game. Early in a season? Easier to take. In crunch time? It’s less acceptable. It hurt them in last year’s playoffs to the point where Counsell elected for a bullpen day in a winner-take-all Game 5 on the road.

Imanaga might not be quite as bad as made out to be at times, but the flaws are so big.

The post Chicago Cubs: Should Shota Imanaga’s rotation spot be in jeopardy? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

On Friday, August 28, the Chicago Cubs placed left-handed reliever Hoby Milner on waivers. The move tentatively keeps him on the 40-man roster, making it different than being designated for assignment, but it exposes him to all over 29 teams, in which anyone can claim him and his remaining  approximate $800,000 salary.

In the event Milner goes unclaimed over the next 48 hours, he could remain in the Cubs organization and easily factor into their late season and post season plans. However, given his 3.53 ERA and six holds this season, it seems likely another team will take a chance on the veteran left-hander. That said, here we take a look at three factors that led to Chicago making this decision.

Three major factors in the Chicago Cubs decision to place Hoby Milner on waivers

1) Injury rehab window had maxed out

2) The Chicago Cubs didn’t want to option any relievers to the minor leagues

Cubs will have to make a decision on LHP Hoby Milner in next few days with 30-day window for his rehab assignment coming to an end.

Will be interesting to see what the Cubs do. They have only three optionable relievers in their bullpen right now: Zeferjahn, Palencia and Rolison.

— Meghan Montemurro (@MegMontemurro) August 26, 2026

3) Regressing metrics

The post 3 major factors in the Cubs’ decision to place Hoby Milner on waivers appeared first on ChiCitySports.

What can you say about Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow Armstrong that hasn’t already been said?

It’s at the point where crowing (pun intended) about his greatness and the greatness of his 2026 season is downright repetitive. But what else can you do when “PCA” keeps doing great things, historical things?

More News: Chicago Cubs face bad news buzz on free agency-bound pitcher

Saturday’s 3-home run, 6-RBI, 4-for-6 game against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field was yet another “Well, we have to talk about this stuff again” game for the 24-year-old star.

This was Crow-Armstrong’s ninth career game with 10 or more total bases—two more than any player under 25 since 1900. It also puts him just behind elite Cubs company—Billy Williams, Sammy Sosa, Hank Sauer, and Ernie Banks—when it comes to single games with 10+ total bases.

He’s also become one of just three players in MLB history to post 12 or more home runs, 6 or more stolen bases and 16 or more walks in a single calendar month. The other two were Babe Ruth and Willie Mays.

With the 3-homer performance on Saturday, he also became the first Cub with at least 4 hits, 3 home runs, and 6 RBIs in a Wrigley Field game since George Mitterwald in 1974.

He’s also now tied with Rick Monday for second on the Cubs all-time single-season leadoff home run list (8), four behind Alfonso Soriano.

A crazy-good season for PCA

More News: Chicago Cubs: Odd roster move explained after team waives veteran reliever

It’s indeed a crazy season for him—a second straight career year for the three-year veteran.

On the season so far, Crow-Armstrong has 36 home runs, 89 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases. He’s slashing an impressive .282/.377/.567 with an OPS of .944 and boasting a 9.0 WAR. With 26 games left to go in the regular season, it’s possible that he could become the franchise’s first-ever 40-40 player. Oh yeah, and he’s also become the betting favorite to win National League MVP honors.

There are several contributing factors to his extended, almost cartoonishly-excellent season. Maybe first and foremost is his sudden patience at the plate and his willingness to take walks rather than hack at everything in an effort to force a hit. This year’s 71 walks in 608 plate appearances more than triples his 29 walks last season in 647 plate appearances. And, as expected, being able to wait on the right pitches eventually gets a hitter better pitches to hit.

Saying and doing all the right things

Making his feats even more endearing to Cubs fans, though, is PCA’s insistence on shining the light of positivity right back on his teammates and on the fans.

“This is the best place to play,” He told reporters after Saturday’s game. “You hear it from everybody. People love coming to play here on the road. We’re lucky enough to do it 81 games out of the season. All the MVP chants are cool, but it’s cooler when we sing the song after a win like today.”

The Cubs will be leaning heavily on Crow-Armstrong in the postseason, counting on him to get the team up on the board as well as prevent runs with his elite outfield defense. At this point, it almost seems obvious that he’s ready for that kind of pressure.

The post Pete Crow-Armstrong’s greatness continues to force history talk appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs went out and got what they needed at the trade deadline this season. In contrast to last year, when Jed Hoyer and the front office played things conservatively at the deadline, the 2026 Cubs were aggressive in bringing assets in.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Odd roster move explained after team waives veteran reliever

All told, the team acquired Kevin Gausman from the Toronto Blue Jays, Braxton Garrett from the Miami Marlins, Ryan Zeferjahn from the Los Angeles Angels, and Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor from the New York Mets.

The Cubs’ stressed and strained starting rotation got the biggest boost with the additions of veteran starters Gausman and Holmes, who have become fixtures in the regular season rotation and are being looked to as key assets in the postseason rotation.

Holmes, especially, has become a source of much-needed consistency amid a rotation that had been in constant flux due to injury. So far with Chicago, the 33-year-old has been stellar with his new team, posting a 1.96 ERA through four starts—and this is after coming off an extended IL stint due to a fractured right fibula that kept him from pitching at the big league level since mid-May.

This sneak peek with the Cubs whets the appetite for what the groundball specialist could do over the course of an entire season with the team’s elite infield defense behind him.

Are Clay Holmes’ Cubs days numbered?

More News: Chicago Cubs: Brutal Ben Brown update stings amid bullpen collapse

Unfortunately, it’s looking less and less likely that the Cubs will be able to hold on to him beyond this season.

Holmes holds a $12 million player option for 2027 and the thought has always been that he’d test the free agency market rather than exercise that option. And now, it seems like that testing of the market is pretty much a sure thing. Per Fansided MLB insider Robert Murray, Holmes is being seen as one of the most popular free agent starting pitching options behind Tarik Skubal ahead of the coming season.

“Whatever you have projected for Clay Holmes, I would take the over on it,” Murray said on the Just Baseball podcast. “He is incredibly popular.”

By all accounts, Holmes is very happy in Chicago and his performance certainly reflects how well he’s meshed with the team.

“Pitching at Wrigley with a Cubs uniform on, in a Friday day game, it’s special. It’s iconic,” Holmes said after his first start with the team. “To do it with this team — and these guys that have been so great at welcoming me in — was a lot of fun.”

“You feel the environment,” Holmes added. “You feel the passion they have here. You just feel that they love baseball. They love winning baseball. It’s just fun to be a part of that.”

Money

But, of course, this is a money business and a 33-year-old pitcher is going to look to grab at a contract as lucrative as possible for as many years as possible. The Cubs’ history when it comes to pitching is that they won’t spend the next-level bucks on arms.

That could change as the team stares down the possibility of having no healthy, reliable starting pitching heading into the 2027 season and nine-figures of available budget to play with. But, for now, it might be wise to view Holmes as a really awesome ship that passed in the night.

The post Chicago Cubs face bad news buzz on free agency-bound pitcher appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs made a head-scratching bullpen-related roster move on Friday, amid some very real concerns that the bullpen in place now is quickly starting to fall apart.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Brutal Ben Brown update stings amid bullpen collapse

The team activated left-handed reliever Hoby Milner from the IL and then immediately placed him on waivers. Initial erroneous reporting had the team designating the 35-year-old for assignment, but that report was later corrected.

This means that Milner, who was signed by the Cubs in the offseason on a one-year $3.75 million contract to be an anchor in a rebuilt bullpen, is officially up for grabs and can be claimed by any of the remaining major league teams. If claimed, Milner is gone. If unclaimed, he’ll be back in the Cubs’ control and the team would be free to move him around the playing board as needed, whether that involves a temporary move down to Triple-A or keeping him at the big league level.

If a team picks him up, they’ll be on the hook for the remainder of his 2026 contract—which reportedly amounts to about $800K.

A puzzling move

More News: The Chicago Cubs’ Webb of late-inning concern grows after brutal loss

The updated and corrected report doesn’t make the Milner move significantly less puzzling.

The veteran southpaw has a history of being a very solid, dependable middle-relief option and it’s quite possible that at least a team or two with playoff aspirations would want him—even with him just coming off the IL and with a good amount of money owed to him for this homestretch of the regular season.

If claimed, the Cubs lose a legitimate asset who could’ve restored some stability to a stressed and strained bullpen. Before being placed on the IL on June 27, following an emergency appendectomy, the ten-year veteran had posted a 3.53 ERA through 38 games and 35.2 innings pitched.

A high-stakes gamble

Chicago is likely gambling that other teams will pass on him, lacking roster spots at this point in the season and unwilling to add to their payrolls.

If unclaimed, the Cubs would then have added flexibility when it comes to where they can keep him and would be free to move him up and down between the big league and minor league squads to boost roster flexibility ahead of the September 1 roster expansion.

However, if the pitcher does clear waivers and the team wants to send him down to the minors, he’d also have the right to nix the assignment and declare himself a free agent.

This Milner move is certainly a gamble.

As he entered his rehab assignment in Iowa, the thought was that Milner would step back into the Cubs bullpen to replace the struggling Caleb Thielbar as the chief lefty in relief. Friday’s waiver decision casts some real doubt on that and could make for a scenario where the team walks into the postseason with the untested Ryan Rolison and Thielbar as the only dedicated left-handed relief options in the pen.

Chicago will know by the end of this weekend whether their roster gamble has paid off.

The post Chicago Cubs: Odd roster move explained after team waives veteran reliever appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs, after a run that was looking more and more like the run of a championship-level team, seem to have lost their way.

More News: Chicago Cubs, Crow-Armstrong still raging after missed balk call

They’ve now lost three in a row and their NL Wild Card status—which very recently seemed pretty much etched in stone—is suddenly not so secure.

A big part of the team’s regression has to do with a bullpen that has suddenly become a very clear weak spot.

On Friday, for example, Daniel Palencia came into the game in the ninth inning, after the Cubs scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth to get themselves within one run of the Cincinnati Reds. The Cubs’ former closer, however, allowed a solo home run to make the score 10-8. The Palencia fail not only gave the Reds an insurance run heading into the last inning, it also took the wind out of what appeared to be a Cubs surge of momentum.

In the end, Chicago would lose the game 10-8 and the bullpen, which gave up all but two of the visitor’s runs, took another one on the chin.

The fall of the Cubs’ closers

More News: Chicago Cubs: Michael Conforto over Kyle Tucker was a low-key MVP-level decision

In recent days, the club’s two late-inning bullpen assets—Palencia and Jacob Webb—have faltered, big time. The Cubs’ de facto closers have a combined ERA of 24.32 through four key appearances, contributing to all three recent Cubs losses.

The hope, though, was that, amid this collapse of late-inning pitching, help was on the way.

Ben Brown’s positive trajectory in recovery offered a bit of optimism that the team could plug him into a closer role if/when Palencia and Webb didn’t get their grooves back.

The 26-year-old Brown was having a breakthrough year until his recurring neck problem resurfaced and put him on the shelf in mid-June. Up until that point, the tall righty had been lights out, earning his spot as a top-of-rotation starter after establishing himself as a trustworthy bullpen asset earlier in the season. On the year, Brown has posted a 1.85 ERA over 68 innings.

Bad news Brown

Up until this Tuesday, Brown was throwing well and making it look like a return to active duty, at least in a less taxing bullpen role, would be imminent. That optimism is no longer warranted.

Brown is said to have felt “symptoms” of his neck stress reaction injury after a two-inning session at the team’s Arizona complex.

“Ben looked great throwing,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters. “He said the symptoms popped up at the end of the outing and then worsened as the hours went on. We’ll just have to see what comes of it.”

Counsell would go on to affirm that this was, indeed, a setback in Brown’s recovery and that a path forward has yet to be determined.

Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic revealed that his internal Cubs sources are not optimistic about the chance of Brown returning this year.

Per Sharma:

“According to a team source who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the club’s plans, the Cubs are looking at their major-league roster with the assumption that Brown won’t be able to help. That’s a departure from how they looked at things before Tuesday. Their focus with him is on his future and making sure his neck injury won’t be a recurring problem.”

So, strike Brown’s name from the cavalry expected to ride in and save the strained Cubs bullpen. Maybe Palencia and Webb—and Counsell—will just have to figure out how to turn things around on their own.

The post Chicago Cubs: Brutal Ben Brown update stings amid bullpen collapse appeared first on ChiCitySports.

An interesting stat was posted on Twitter(X) Thursday morning, involving Cubs outfielder Ian Happ and home run production in certain situations. Thomas Nestico of TJStats posted proportions of home runs hit in “higher leverage” situations across baseball. This is based on what FanGraphs considers medium and high leverage, combined.

Per the stat, Happ’s proportion of higher leverage home runs is 65%, or 15 of his 23 homers. He ranks eighth in that stat among all MLB players. Only eight of his 23 homers have been hit in what’s considered “low leverage” situations per the stat.

Proportion of Home Runs in Higher Leverage Situations pic.twitter.com/SFPS2xaUsI

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) August 27, 2026

This can come as a surprise, considering Happ’s recent reputation for not coming through in big moments. Even to Happ’s bigger fans, it could come as a surprise considering the rough patches he’s had this year. Few will deny it hasn’t been his best year, yet there still could be more to Happ than meets the eye.

Is Happ more clutch than we think?

It’s first important to note how FanGraphs defines low, medium, and high leverage. They use a stat called Leverage Index (LI), which gives a range of values representing the importance of moments in a game based on the score and situation. FanGraphs calculates this stat by measuring the potential swing in a team’s win expectancy (WE).

FanGraphs groups these values into ranges to determine leverage. Low leverage is 0 – 0.85, medium leverage is 0.85 – 2.0, and high leverage is 2.0+. The point being, it can be seen like WAR where it’s an arbitrary determination of value, with other platforms using slightly different variations of the stat. However, it gives a fair idea of players’ outcomes in certain situations.

Again, it’s no secret that Happ has had his RISP struggles this year, along with an increased strikeout rate and a decrease in average and OBP. However, he has still hit for power that has helped swing some games in the Cubs’ favor. He certainly did that last Sunday in Seattle with the eventual game-winning grand slam.

IAN HAPP GRAND SLAM! pic.twitter.com/G5U2YiUO7v

— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2026

This stat does not give a medium vs. high leverage ratio, so that 65% is not all high leverage. Still, he’s produced more than in garbage time. Might want to keep him hitting from the left side only, though.

The post A surprising stat for Chicago Cubs outfielder Ian Happ appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are not in such a comfortable position anymore.

Being 6.5 games behind the first place Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central Division is pretty much a death sentence for their chance of winning the division, even with seven games remaining against their rivals.

More News: Chicago Cubs, Crow-Armstrong still raging after missed balk call

Chicago currently has the top NL Wild Card spot, but their lead over the Phildelphia Phillies, which was as much as five games at one point, has now been whittled down to just two. The San Diego Padres, meanwhile, are just four games behind the Cubs, holding the third NL Wild Card seed.

After a pair of tough losses and a 2-4 road trip, some legitimate concern has to be floating through the team’s collective brain trust.

Maybe a big, late-season shakeup is needed—something that could rattle the cage a bit and give the team a jolt of energy?

Eugenio Suarez off waivers?

More News: Chicago Cubs: Michael Conforto over Kyle Tucker was a low-key MVP-level decision

Could Eugenio Suarez provide that jolt of energy?

On Wednesday, it was reported by MLB insider Ken Rosenthal that the Cincinnati Reds had placed power-hitting third baseman Eugenio Suarez on waivers, along with outfielder TJ Friedl.

It looks to be a move entirely motivated by money issues, as another team claiming Suarez would be on the line for the remaining $3 million on his contract this season.

The 35-year-old veteran, however, hasn’t exactly been killing it this season amid a run of nagging injuries that’s kept him at DH for much of the year. He’s hitting just .208 over 103 games, but does have 19 home runs in 361 at bats.

Given his history, Suarez would clearly bring pop and long-ball threat to any team that snatches him up. In Chicago’s case, specifically, Suarez has been a long-time Cubs killer. Over the course of his career, he has 16 home runs and 40 RBIs in 242 at bats at Wrigley Field.

So, would the Cubs be interested in Suarez?

Could the Cubs be interested?

It might be intriguing to consider a bat as potentially impactful as Suarez’s somewhere in the already-potent Cubs’ lineup. With Alex Bregman at third, his time would mostly be spent at DH, although he did play three games at first base last season with the Mariners and Diamondbacks. Maybe he could be slated in after Michael Busch but before Ian Happ in the lineup.

Picking up a veteran so late in the season, during a pennant race, is not unheard of. Just last season, the Cubs acquired first baseman Carlos Santana for the tail end of the push to the playoffs. When rosters expand on September 1, there’s definitely a case to be made for having Suarez around in a postseason push over a Triple-A prospect or a fringe role player.

But the Cubs grabbing at the right-handed bat seems pretty unlikely at this point, despite buzz over the last couple seasons that had them showing interest in what he brings to the plate. Matt Shaw is doing well in his minor league rehab assignment and is expected back fairly soon. The Cubs also hope to have Dansby Swanson back from his oblique issue by the postseason.

So, as interesting as it would be for the Cubs to add Suarez, it’s probably not going to happen. As a matter of fact, given the $3 million still owed him for this year, he’s expected to clear waivers and stay put in Cincinnati.

The post Would the Chicago Cubs consider grabbing at waived Eugenio Suarez? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong showed his fiery side Wednesday afternoon after a missed balk call stopped him from coming home from third base and cost the Cubs a crucial run in what was a 0-0 game at the time.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Michael Conforto over Kyle Tucker was a low-key MVP-level decision

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez was lights out, taking a shutout into the sixth inning against a stymied Cubs team, but the Cubs had a real chance to bring home a tie-breaking run with Crow-Armstrong on third.

A fake break home from the Cubs star seemed to distract Rodriguez, who stepped off the rubber mid-wind-up in a clear and obvious balk.

But a balk wasn’t called.

Crow-Armstrong goes ballistic

More News: The Chicago Cubs’ Webb of late-inning concern grows after brutal loss

The non-call sent the Cubs into a frenzy with Crow-Armstrong charging at the umps and third base coach Quintin Berry having to hold him back. Manager Craig Counsell also rushed on to the field to make the case for the balk, to no avail.

“They flat-out missed it,” Counsell said. “It’s obvious to everybody on TV. It’s obvious to anybody. They missed it.”

After the game, crew chief Alfonso Marquez admitted to the mistake.

“We just didn’t see it,” Marquez told reporters. “After looking at the video, it looked like he stepped off.”

Rodriguez clearly did step off and the missed call seemed to change the dynamic of the game. In the bottom half of the sixth, the Diamondbacks scored a run to go ahead 1-0 and then added an insurance run in the eighth on the 2-0 loss for Chicago.

PCA had plenty to say

After the game, Crow-Armstrong still had plenty to say:

“I saw four umpires miss a pretty obvious play. They’re out there every day just like we are. Their one job is to get calls right, and if they get it wrong, they’re supposed to talk about it, figure it out, and get it right. And they didn’t ….

I get it from [the home plate umpire’s] point of view at home plate. Tough to see with two people standing in front of you, and all you’re trying to do is call the right pitch. But I don’t know how you miss somebody starting their motion, then stopping it and stepping off ….

I think you guys just saw my frustration from the last three days come out. And I’m going to stick by it and say rightfully so, because I didn’t appreciate the other umpire coming up to me after Q had already calmed the situation down.

It’s just – I think they find new ways to screw something up every day. So there you go.”

It was a frustrating turn of events in a frustrating loss that capped off a similarly frustrating two-game skid for the Cubs, who now find themselves in a real fight to keep their top NL Wild Card spot from the surging Philadelphia Phillies. There are now only two games separating the teams.

Debate has been stirred regarding whether balk calls should be reviewable. And when seeing an obviously botched call of a crucial play in the midst of a pennant race, like on Wednesday, it’s hard to make the case against it.

The post Chicago Cubs, Crow-Armstrong still raging after missed balk call appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs’ pitching injuries this season have been well documented. That said, the outlook has started to trend in the right direction lately, with Ben Brown, Justin Steele and Shelby Miller all making progress in their respective recoveries. With each pitcher working toward a return this season, there was growing optimism for the possibility to all return in relief roles before seasons end.

That said, Wednesday, Aug. 26, brought significant updates on both Brown and Miller. Unfortunately for Brown, his recovery from a stress fracture in his neck has hit a snag after he experienced a return of the pain. Miller, meanwhile, provided some encouraging news on the mound, reaching a velocity he hasn’t seen since 2019.

Chicago Cubs injury updates: Ben Brown suffers a setback, Shelby Miller hits 98 MPH during an injury rehab outing

According to the Cubs, Brown has unfortunately started experiencing symptoms in his neck again after recently throwing in bridge games in Arizona. He will now return to Chicago to meet with doctors and determine the next steps in his recovery.

Miller, meanwhile, provided a much more encouraging update in his latest appearance, topping out at 98.0 mph. That’s a velocity he hasn’t reached since 2019, making it impressive on its own, but even more notable considering he is just 11 months removed from Tommy John surgery.

For the Cubs, Wednesday’s updates offered a reminder of just how unpredictable the road back from injury can be. Brown’s setback is certainly discouraging, particularly with the postseason approaching, but Miller’s velocity provides a major reason for optimism. If Miller can continue building on his recent progress, he could give Chicago another valuable option down the stretch, while Brown’s next round of evaluations should provide a clearer picture of his chances to return this season.

The post 1 unbelievable stat from rehabbing Cubs’ arm, 1 disappointing, but believable, development from another appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs seem to have dodged a bullet when they essentially passed on pursuing a continued relationship with right fielder Kyle Tucker.

More News: The Chicago Cubs’ Webb of late-inning concern grows after brutal loss

Although they never would’ve offered Tucker the 4-year, $260 million contract that the Los Angeles Dodgers did, there was still real talk about a deal in the area of $400 million over ten years. Looking back, it would’ve been a deal that not only hobbled the franchise, but one which also would’ve likely crushed the positive vibe of this current squad.

Instead, the Cubs opted to return Seiya Suzuki to full-time right field duty and then sign veteran Michael Conforto as a capable fourth outfielder for insurance.

As things would turn out, the Conforto decision was one of the low-key important moves of the offseason.

Conforto is clutch; Tucker, not so much

More News: Chicago Cubs staring down brutal turn of pitching events ahead of playoff chase

The 33-year-old has come through repeatedly for this team and has become the linchpin for a much improved bench this season. Coming into Tuesday’s game, the veteran had a 1.202 OPS as a pinch hitter and is boasting a franchise-record four home runs in that role. All in all, he’s batting .232, but has 12 home runs and 33 RBIs, with a .794 OPS in 240 plate appearances—on a one-year, $2 million contract.

Tucker, meanwhile, is hitting .231 with 11 home runs and 57 RBIs, posting a .687 OPS as a full-time starter with 510 plate appearances.

For Conforto, taking a bench job had to be a bit of a bitter pill to swallow. He came into the 2026 season after having made $17 million in a season with the Dodgers last year and $18 million a year for two years with the San Francisco Giants as an every day player. However, a brutal 2025—where he hit .199 on the season and was kept off the Dodgers’ playoff roster—forced him to reassess his options.

“When you sign a player of his stature and they come in and they accept a role that’s not something they’ve done before, it builds things around the room,” manager Craig Counsell said of Conforto. “Mike’s been a real connector for this group. His production and his leadership from that perspective has been really important.”

A focus on winning

The former Dodger, Giant, and Met claims that his focus now is just on winning and adding on to his career legacy after 11 years in the game.

“I’ve felt more like I’ve come in here and kind of joined the party,” Conforto recently told the Chicago Sun-Times. “The big thing is coming in here and being honest: At this point in my career, I just want to win games. That was just a great fit from the beginning.

“A lot of these guys, maybe it resonated with them that you can get to a place in your career where, maybe, it’s not so much about the money and the playing time and all that stuff but it’s about being a part of something special.

The Cubs are absolutely not having buyer’s remorse when it comes to their signing of Conforto. Now, the question is whether they’ll make any moves in the offseason to keep him in Chicago.

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The Chicago Cubs took a real gut punch on Tuesday at Chase Field when the Arizona Diamondbacks came back from a 0-4 deficit coming into the eighth inning to walk-off the game in the bottom of the ninth and end the evening on top 5-to-4.

More News: Chicago Cubs staring down brutal turn of pitching events ahead of playoff chase

To be extra specific, Cubs’ manager Craig Counsell took a gut punch now that the balancing act he’s managed in addressing the team’s closer situation has seemingly fallen apart.

When Daniel Palencia returned from the IL last Friday, the talk was about how great things would be with two legit closers on-staff now.

With Jacob Webb having established himself as the team’s high-leverage late-inning guy in Palencia’s absence—riding high on a 24 scoreless inning streak—the Cubs seemed set with the 1-2 closer tandem.

But things definitely haven’t worked out as planned.

Webb’s struggles

More News: Chicago Cubs: Counsell’s not messing around—win or get out of the way

Webb blew his first save in a long time that Saturday, allowing 3 earned runs in two-thirds of an inning in a walk-off win for the Seattle Mariners. Still, Counsell held firm in his belief in the veteran.

“He’s kind of held this whole thing together for most of the year,” Counsell told reporters after that tough loss. “He’s been great. He’s having a heck of a season. [Saturday] doesn’t change that. He’s going to be out there the next time there’s an opportunity.”

In his very next appearance, however, Webb failed to close the show and again presided over a walk-off ninth inning loss. This time, he had a tag team partner in facilitating the fail—Palencia.

The hard-throwing righty would come into the game in the eighth inning and give up 3 earned runs in two-thirds of an inning before being replaced by Webb.

“I was trying to do my job. It wasn’t my night,” Palencia told media after the game. “They beat me today.”

From concern to a full-blown issue

The closer situation has now progressed beyond being just a one-time thing that still allows for positivity the rest of the way. It’s now a full-blown issue.

Throw in the struggles of trade deadline acquisition Ryan Zeferjhan, who was brought in because of his strong late-inning potential, and now there’s real cause for concern.

Since the August 3 deadline, the late-inning trio of Webb, Palencia, and Zeferjahn have posted an ugly combined ERA of 6.27—and that’s with Zeferjahn having already fallen out of Counsell’s circle of trust, relegated to more low-intensity appearances.

The Webb and Palencia situation is especially troubling for the Cubs, who have strong postseason aspirations and face a tightening race in the NL Wild Card race. Some chatter has already begun about a returning Ben Brown and how he might be used in the closer role when cleared for a full-time comeback. Hoby Milner is also expected back soon to help with the bullpen issues.

In the time being, though, Counsell and the Cubs will have to rely on the longstanding Cubs bullpen strategy of doing the best with what they’ve got and hoping like crazy that it all works out.

The post The Chicago Cubs’ Webb of late-inning concern grows after brutal loss appeared first on ChiCitySports.

After losing the first two games to the Seattle Mariners, both ending in walk-off fashion, the Chicago Cubs took out their frustration in a 19–2 demolition to avoid being swept. It was a reminder that their offense can still overwhelm teams in waves even though it has struggled with RISP in recent games. 

But beneath the fireworks and the sigh of relief in the dugout, manager Craig Counsell managed the game like they are in playoff mode.

Starter Shota Imanaga struggled as he gave up a leadoff home run to Randy Arozarena and worked through extensive traffic on the basepaths. The Cubs took a 5-2 lead in the top of the 3rd after a solo home run by Michael Conforto followed by a grand slam by Ian Happ. However, after allowing two quick singles to begin the third inning, manager Craig Counsell pulled the left-hander at 72 pitches without recording an out.

Reliever Aaron Civale came in and saved the day for the Cubs. He gave them four innings, then Trent Thornton and Caleb Thielbar each took an inning after him. Catcher Carson Kelly pitched the ninth to put a finishing touch on a blowout.

Shota Imanaga is officially put on notice after Sunday

With so many pitchers returning from injuries, the Cubs suddenly have options at rotation and bullpen. High‑leverage options. And when a team is fighting for playoff positioning, every start becomes a referendum. 

And Imanaga’s performance on Sunday, which was the shortest start of his career, puts him on notice now. His command wavered and pitch count ballooned as a result. And in a game where the Cubs’ offense just took the lead, Imanaga couldn’t take advantage of the cushion. 

The Cubs don’t need “good enough” anymore. They need October‑ready pitching. And yesterday’s short outing will stick in Craig Counsell’s mind. 

Many Cubs pitchers face survival mode now

If you watched Counsell on Sunday, he managed aggressively and with intention. The roster is tightening, and he knows tough decisions are coming. With every Cubs pitcher returning from the IL, the margin for error for other pitchers keeps shrinking. 

The Cubs had only three quality starts over their last 10 games. One of them was Imanaga against the Chicago White Sox on August 17th. The others are Clay Holmes against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 14th, and Kevin Gausman against the Washington Nationals on August 12th. 

Matthew Boyd, billed as the Cubs’ No. 1 starter, has struggled in each of his last two starts. He has to show Counsell he is capable of carrying the team come October. If you also include David Peterson and Javier Assad, every starting pitcher has something to prove.

Edwin Cabrera’s disastrous outing before returning to the IL again for blisters complicates things for Counsell. But he can’t afford to have Cabrera work his way back anymore this late in the season. And don’t forget Ben Brown and Justin Steele could also return in September. All of them will work from the bullpen the rest of the season. If they’re not up to the task, somebody’s going to miss the postseason.

Daniel Palencia came off the IL and immediately jumped back into action on Friday. And several relievers, such as Hoby Milner and Shelby Miller, are ramping up their rehab assignment and could be activated soon. Civale, Thornton, and Thielbar all helped their case to remain with the Cubs with their performance last Sunday. Even Ryan Zeferjahn, who hasn’t looked sharp since arriving from the Los Angeles Angels, could find himself off the postseason roster.

A 19–2 win was fun. But Counsell is now managing with postseason on his mind. He is operating under pressure and urgency the rest of the season. These moments will help them prepare and determine who is capable of handling the postseason.

The post In a blowout win on Sunday, Craig Counsell showed he is not messing around appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs and Arizona Diamondbacks opened up a very important series on Monday night in Phoenix. With the regular season winding down, the Cubs are still chasing the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Meanwhile, the Diamondbacks are hoping to catch up in the Wild Card race.

So as you can imagine, things are getting intense here in August.

As the Cubs took down the Diamondbacks 7-0, they opened up the series with a big win. However, there was a big accusation following the game regarding a member of the Cubs’ coaching staff and Arizona’s starter, Merill Kelly.

Merrill Kelly calls out Chicago Cubs for stealing signs?

Kelly struggled in the series opener, going 5.2 innings, giving up five hits, three runs, and walking three while striking out four. His ERA on the season moved to 5.35 as the struggles continued. But Kelly believes the Cubs had a read on his pitching, particularly the changeup.

Midway through the fifth inning, the two dugouts started chirping at each other over whether Cubs third-base coach Quintin Berry was relaying signs to his team. Kelly, nor the Diamondbacks coaching staff appreciated that.

“Stealing signs is as old as baseball,” Kelly said. “I think it’s a little bulls— when it comes from a coach. I think if it’s a guy on second base and they see the grip in your glove or if the hitters can see something that you’re doing with your glove, I think that’s fair game.

“I think guys have been doing that since the beginning of baseball. I think it’s a little bush league when it comes from outside that.”

The Cubs and Diamondbacks dugouts had some words for each other. pic.twitter.com/qleOIaAUZX

— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 25, 2026

The shouting got intense but as you can imagine with playoff hopes on the line, things are going to get heated. After the game, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo confirmed that.

“We were barking at their third-base coach and he was barking back,” Lovullo said. “And what’s funny in April is not funny in August, everybody’s edgy. And they’re protecting their side, we’re protecting our side. And that’s as far as I wanna go with that.”

For the Diamondbacks, it felt like frustrations from their recent play and falling behind in the Wild Card race. But as game two looms on Tuesday, it’s something to watch for both sides.

The post Merrill Kelly calls out Cubs coach for stealing signs, calls it ‘bush league’ appeared first on ChiCitySports.

What do the Chicago Cubs do if Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga continue on their downward trajectory? That’s a big question facing the North Siders as they work their way towards a playoff run.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Counsell’s not messing around—win or get out of the way

Boyd, who’s had two stints on the IL this season and has been limited to just 91 total innings pitched, has a 6.12 ERA through his four starts in August and was lit up on Friday against the Mariners.

Imanaga, meanwhile, is posting a 5.68 ERA over his last three starts and got the early hook on Sunday versus the Mariners after just two struggle-heavy innings.

The Cubs rotation has been a roller coaster all season. Initially lauded for its depth, injuries removed key pieces and created concerns about whether there’d even be enough starters to have a 5-man rotation. Starters Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes were then acquired at the trade deadline and, paired with the return of Edward Cabrera, the rotation was again lauded for its depth.

However, Cabrera got battered in his first outing back from the IL and was placed right back on the IL and, now, Boyd and Imanaga are on an extended run of poor performances.

Matthew Boyd’s downward trajectory

More News: Chicago Cubs: Two aces in the hole for postseason success

Boyd’s fall, as the de facto ace of the staff, is especially troubling.

Per Alex Patt from right here at ChiCity Sports:

“He sports a 4.68 FIP and 1.24 WHIP. That is well off the 3.65 FIP and 1.09 WHIP marks from his All Star 2025 campaign. His xERA (expected ERA) is way up at 5.01 right now; compare that to 3.75 last year.

What really stands out is the home runs. While Boyd’s flyball rate is down, 39.3% this year vs. 44.9% last year, his HR/9 has jumped from 0.95 to 1.38. That’s 14 homers in 91 innings this year vs. 19 homers in 179.2 innings all of last year. Not surprising that more flyballs are being pulled this year (22.9%) vs. last year (17.7%) based on those home run totals.”

And as Evan Altman of Cubs Insider pointed out:

“…They’ll have a puncher’s chance to make some noise. As we saw Friday night, however, their glass jaw could make that knockout power irrelevant. Matthew Boyd had been (and may still be) the presumed No. 1 starter, but he’s given up at least four earned runs in three of his last four starts.

That includes eight home runs with just 11 strikeouts and nine walks over 25 innings. Boyd’s fastball has been particularly bad during that stretch, with a -2.5 run value. Statcast has his heater at -5 runs on the season, putting him in the 17th percentile. He generated 10 runs of value to fall in the 86th percentile last season. Even with the slider and curve being much better, his fastball and middling changeup have dragged him down.”

Hoping for the best

Now, when you throw in the fact that Gausman has also not been pitching all that well (6.19 ERA as a Cub through three starts), some real concerns start bubbling up.

What will the Cubs’ four-man postseason rotation look like? At this point, they have little choice but to go with the obvious picks—Boyd, Gausman, Holmes, Imanaga—and just hope for the best. They also may want to have swingmen Colin Rea, Javier Assad, and David Peterson ready to go at the drop of a hat, just in case.

The post Chicago Cubs staring down brutal turn of pitching events ahead of playoff chase appeared first on ChiCitySports.

One of the cooler events each MLB season is the Little League Classic. The event, which takes place in Williamsport, Pennsylvania during the Little League World Series, is a fun one all around. And next year it’s going to be the Chicago Cubs turn to participate.

It allows current players to go back to their roots of playing baseball while also giving Little League players the chance to hang out with actual MLB players for at least a day.  The event is a fun one and this year it saw the Atlanta Braves take down the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday Night Baseball.

But next season, there will be a Chicago flavor to it.

Rob Manfred joined the ESPN broadcast during the 2026 Little League Classic on Sunday to announce that the Chicago Cubs and Toronto Blue Jays will meet on Thursday, August 19, 2027 for the next edition of the Little League Classic. The game will air exclusively on ESPN.

In keeping with the tradition of this annual event, Major Leaguers from both the Blue Jays and the Cubs will attend Little League World Series games earlier in the day on August 19, demonstrating their commitment to helping grow the game at the youth level and engage with young fans. Later that evening, Little League World Series players and their families will fill Journey Bank Ballpark at Historic Bowman Field for the Little League Classic game. It will mark the first time that the contest will be played on Thursday, headlining ESPN’s slate of baseball that day, which will spotlight Little League all the way up to the Majors. The Blue Jays will be the home team in the matchup.

For the Cubs, this will be the second time they have appeared in the game. They played the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2018 at Bowman Field in Williamsport, which was the third edition of the event.

The post Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays to face off in 2027 Little League Classic appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are on full-time “go time,” per manager Craig Counsell. And that means that there’s little time to consider egos, hang-ups, or to give someone time to work through a poor performance.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Two aces in the hole for postseason success

Coming into Sunday’s game with the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park, the Cubs had lost two in a row and had seen the first place Milwaukee Brewers lengthen their division lead over them by seven games. The Philadelphia Phillies and San Diego Padres had also climbed to within two and four games, respectively, of overtaking them atop the NL Wild Card standings.

Imanaga gets early hook

More News: Chicago Cubs bullpen is in a happy place, despite Saturday’s collapse

So, with that in mind, Counsell was quick to pull starter Shota Imanaga from the game after he showed that he clearly didn’t have his best stuff. The southpaw had given up two runs on five hits and two walks in two innings and 72 pitches—including a leadoff home run to Randy Arozarena—and was struggling uncharacteristically with control.

When Ian Happ hit a grand slam in the top of the third to put the Cubs ahead 5-to-2, Counsell made the move to go with swingman Aaron Civale. Rather than take the sudden lead as breathing room to give Imanaga more of a chance to get things together, he moved on to try and secure the win. It was clearly the right move to make as Civale would deliver four shutout innings and the Cubs would go on to thump the Mariners 19-to-2.

“It was just a bad day [for Imanaga],” Counsell told reporters, pointing out the lefty’s solid last outing against the White Sox. “You could just tell the misses were far bigger than normal. The velocity was down a little bit from the beginning. We’ll just have to regroup.

“This was kind of isolated right now, and obviously, he gets to prove it the next time out.”

The reason behind the quick hook

There may be a little bit more to Counsell’s decision than simply getting out the hook for a pitcher who just didn’t have it, though. Last season, Imanaga’s late-season dip in velocity came just ahead of a full-on collapse that eventually saw the Japanese star scratched from his last playoff start.

In 2025, Counsell and the Cubs had no choice but to ride with Imanaga for as long as they could before removing him from the starting pitching circle of trust. They just didn’t have many replacement options. In 2026, however, the team does have a plan B, C, and D.

Civale and Colin Rea can both do multiple innings in relief as well as spot start if necessary. Javier Assad, who can do the same, is just one phone call away in Iowa.

“This is why we have some length in the bullpen,” Counsell said. “As soon as Ian hit the home run, honestly, my thought was, ‘If Shota’s in trouble, we’re going to go.’”

Come playoff time, when the Cubs go with a four-man rotation, there will be even more depth in the bullpen with David Peterson likely moving there and maybe an Edward Cabrera option floating about.

For Imanaga—and everyone else—the message is clear. Counsell is going for the wins and if you can’t help with that, you will kindly step aside.

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Chicago Cubs 2025 sixth round draft pick Josiah Hartshorn is having a breakout season. The 19 year old 1B/OF from Orange Lutheran High School has propelled up prospect rankings this year, including becoming the organization’s No.1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No.39.

This year, Hartshorn has dominated the Low-A and High-A ranks. As of August 24, he is slashing a combined .285/.404/.515 with an incredible 20 home runs, 99 RBI’s,  22 doubles, 12 stolen bases, and 76 walks to 92 strikeouts. His 99 RBI’s are currently the most of any player drafted last summer who made their professional debut in 2026.

Over the weekend, Hartshorn launched home run No. 20, which put him in some elite territory as a Cubs teenage minor league prospect.

Josiah Hartshorn becomes the first teenage prospect in 27 years to reach 20 home runs in a season

On Saturday, Hartshorn hit his 15th home run of the season with the South Bend Cubs, adding to the five he hit earlier this year with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, where he spent just 39 games. That brings his season total to 20 home runs, making him the first Cubs teenage prospect since Corey Patterson in 1999 to reach the milestone.

Josiah Hartshorn blasts his 20th home run of the season!

He is the first teenage Cubs prospect to hit this mark in 27 years. His High-A OPS now stands at .933 and he’s driven in 98 runs. pic.twitter.com/lDTqia46DF

— Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) August 23, 2026

Furthermore, Hartshorn’s 15 home runs with the South Bend Cubs have him tied with Jordan Nwogu and Yonathan Perlaza for the most in a single season by a South Bend player since 2015. If he can hit one more before the minor league season concludes on September 6, Hartshorn will become the new record holder.

At just 19 years old, Hartshorn is already putting his name alongside some of the more notable prospects in Cubs history. His 20 home runs are impressive on their own, but the fact that he has reached that mark while setting himself up to break South Bend’s single-season home run record makes his season even more notable. With several games still remaining, Hartshorn has a chance to add another chapter to what has quickly become a historic year.

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Despite back-to-back deflating walk-off losses and their lead atop the Wild Card standings being reduced to two games, the Chicago Cubs are still in a good place right now.

More News: Chicago Cubs bullpen is in a happy place, despite Saturday’s collapse

They’re 18 games above .500 and currently boasting a 98-plus percent likelihood of making the playoffs. The team, for the most part, looks locked in and brimming with confidence as injured pitchers begin to work themselves back on to the roster and several key offensive pieces have started to click.

The Cubs may also have a couple of aces in the hole when it comes to pushing deep into postseason play.

Matt Shaw’s role

More News: Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell explains Javier Assad demotion

Matt Shaw recently began his minor league rehab assignment after a long and frustrating wrist injury that kept him sidelined since June 28. In limited play so far with the Iowa Cubs, Chicago’s 2023 number one draft pick has looked sharp.

He’s also been getting playing time at second base during this assignment, something which likely tips the Cubs’ hand that they may look to plug him into that spot when he gets ready to return to the majors. With shortstop Dansby Swanson dealing with an oblique injury for at least 4-6 weeks and Nico Hoerner moving over to cover that spot, Shaw playing in his more natural second base spot seems like a no-brainer, even if he’s working in a platoon with switch-hitting rookie Pedro Ramirez.

But even if he remains in his role as a super-sub bench asset, Shaw will be an important piece to the Cubs’ postseason puzzle. He’s a guy who has been used at every position but pitcher, catcher, and shortstop this season and someone with the wheels to make him a valuable pinch runner when relegated to the bench. He’s also upped his offensive game from last season and can be an asset, especially against left-handed pitching.

Chris Pownall of Da Windy City talked a bit about Shaw’s potential importance to this playoff-bound team:

“He lost his permanent position at third base when Chicago signed Bregman, but that move may have accidentally prepared him for a far more valuable October role.

Shaw can serve as a late game replacement, provide insurance across the diamond or enter the lineup against a favorable pitching matchup. If Swanson’s recovery extends into October, however, Shaw could become something more than a utility option.”

Hoby Milner back in the pen

Meanwhile, among pitchers, Hoby Milner could be the team’s other ace in the hole.

Milner was put on the shelf in late June following an emergency appendectomy and is now several games deep into his own rehab assignment in Iowa.

While other recovering Cubs pitchers—like Justin Steele, Ben Brown, and Shelby Miller capture all the headlines—Milner’s return could mean more to the team and its postseason chances than any other reliever right now.

The veteran lefty, healthy and productive, could step into the bullpen and finally allow the Cubs to cut loose veteran Caleb Thielbar, who is posting a 5.35 ERA through 46 appearances and kept his roster spot as one of only two healthy left-handed relief options along with the surprising Ryan Rolison.

The Cubs will be in a much better spot with Milner in the pen.

Shaw and Milner could be key factors to the Cubs’ postseason success, even if they currently fall a little under the radar.

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The Chicago Cubs gave the ball to the team’s de facto closer Jacob Webb in the ninth inning Saturday night at T-Mobile Park in Seattle and for the first time in a long time, Webb didn’t come through.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Craig Counsell explains Javier Assad demotion

Actually, the three ninth inning runs allowed—two via walk-off two-run home run by Randy Arozarena—were the first runs allowed by Webb in 24.2 innings.

“Baseball happened,” manager Craig Counsell told reporters after the game. “It just shows you how impressive he’s been. It’s unfortunate when you give up some runs that result in a loss, but he’s been so, so good.

“He’s kind of held this whole thing together for most of the year. He’s been great. He’s having a heck of a season. [Saturday] doesn’t change that. He’s going to be out there the next time there’s an opportunity.”

The veteran, who came to the Cubs via free agency to be a middle-of-bullpen depth piece, earned Counsell’s trust as a high-leverage late-inning reliever after an unprecedented wave of injuries forced him into that role. On the season, even with Saturday night’s poor outing, the right-hander has a 2.65 ERA with 9 saves through 58 appearances.

Two Cubs closers?

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Webb’s emergence and Counsell’s trust in him are creating a bit of a situation when it comes the team’s closer role now that Daniel Palencia is back on the team.

The hard-throwinfg Palencia won the closer’s role last season in the same way Webb won the role this season, by stepping in to fill a spot that needed filling and taking it as his own.

Palencia looked good in his first game since coming off the IL—and his first big league appearance since June 15—throwing a scoreless inning against the Mariners on Friday with 2 strikeouts.

So now, essentially, the Cubs have two closers.

It’s not a bad problem to have. Given the fact that Webb and Palencia are very different types of pitchers, it may also give Counsell added flexibility when it comes to matchups and how he wants to handle certain situations.

But the team doesn’t just have two pitchers with game-closing potential.

Wiggins, Miller, and more

Top pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins and rehabbing veteran Shelby Miller could also find themselves in Chicago at some point between next week and the tail end of the regular season.

Neither was in the Cubs’ big league plans until fairly recently, but both could have something to offer down the closing stretch of the season.

Wiggins, after a rough and injury-filled season, is back in Iowa, working one inning at a time and looking quite impressive in that role. So far, the 24-year-old has pitched three scoreless innings in three outings, striking out five over those three frames. With his high-velocity stuff he looks like the prototypical closer, even though the Cubs are hoping to eventually get him back to being a starter.

The 35-year-old Miller, meanwhile, was signed on a 2-year deal this offseason with the full understanding that 2026 would be entirely spent rehabbing from last fall’s Tommy John surgery. But Miller has surprised with his rapid rehab and has already worked himself into a minor league rehab assignment, where he’s looked like his old self.

Both Wiggins and Miller are unlikely to get long looks at the major league level this year—if they make it to the team at all. But they are among the team’s bullpen options, along with rehabbing assets Justin Steele and Ben Brown, who are currently throwing bullpen session and looking impressive. There’s also lefty Hoby Milner who’s just about ready to return from his minor league rehab assignment.

Even trade deadline acquisition Ryan Zeferjahn has the kind of arm and repertoire that makes him a late-inning bullpen candidate, although he’s had some rough outings as a Cub so far.

All in all, the Cubs bullpen seems to be in a happy place. But, as we’ve been seeing all season, that can change in a heartbeat

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As the Chicago Cubs have learned this year, one can truly never have enough pitchers. After watching countless arms go down throughout the course of the year, they re-build their pitching staff at the trade deadline by adding Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes, Braxton Garrett, snf Ryan Zeferjahn.

Now, with a little over a month remaining, the situation has changed dramatically. Daniel Palencia has returned to the bullpen after being activated from a lengthy IL stint, Javier Assad was optioned to Triple-A despite pitching well, and Shelby Miller’s injury rehab assignment is progressing well.

All of that is enough to suggest the script has flipped from the beginning of the year, but the news continues to improve. Recently, it was announced that Ben Brown, who is recovering from stress fractures in his neck, and Justin Steele, who underwent elbow surgery last year before suffering a setback earlier this season, both threw live batting practice sessions in Arizona.

The plan is for both pitchers to participate in live BP sessions or bridge games next week, with Brown potentially moving on to an injury rehab assignment shortly after. Steele’s timeline is likely to be much longer, but Chicago has already made it clear that, if he returns this season, he’ll do so as a reliever rather than a starter. That significantly shortens the buildup he’ll need before potentially contributing.

Chicago Cubs’ latest updates on Justin Steele and Ben Brown provide optimism for a dream post season scenario

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Calling Friday night’s game in Seattle frustrating is an understatement. The Cubs’ 6-5 loss in extras was defined by several factors, including another “blah” start from Matthew Boyd. He went six innings and gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits, two walks, and three strikeouts. Not horrific, but not great.

After Friday’s game, Boyd sports an 8-2 record, but a 4.15 ERA, 4.68 FIP, 1.24 WHIP, and 18.6% strikeout rate in 91 innings pitched on the season. On the surface, a 4.15 ERA in 16 starts isn’t awful, though not the goal for him. The biggest issues lie within the peripherals beyond the basic stats.

Boyd has some kinks under the hood

As mentioned above, he sports a 4.68 FIP and 1.24 WHIP. That is well off the 3.65 FIP and 1.09 WHIP marks from his All Star 2025 campaign. His xERA (expected ERA) is way up at 5.01 right now; compare that to 3.75 last year.

What really stands out is the home runs. While Boyd’s flyball rate is down, 39.3% this year vs. 44.9% last year, his HR/9 has jumped from 0.95 to 1.38. That’s 14 homers in 91 innings this year vs. 19 homers in 179.2 innings all of last year. Not surprising that more flyballs are being pulled this year (22.9%) vs. last year (17.7%) based on those home run totals.

So what’s he doing differently? His pitch usage has been nearly identical to last year: 45.5% four-seam fastball, 25.8% changeup, 15.4% slider, 12.8% curve, and 0.5% sinker. He’s throwing at nearly the same arm angle as last year too (24-25 degrees). The issue is that his bread-and-butter pitches, the fastball and changeup, have dipped in effectiveness. His fastball is slightly down in average velocity (93.3 to 92.7 MPH), but his fastball run value per Statcast dropped from the 86th percentile to the 17th percentile, which is VERY dramatic. His offspeed run value was in the 97th percentile last year and is now in the 58th percentile.

When the fastball isn’t located or executed as well, the offspeed won’t be as effective. Opponents are slugging .481 off his fastball this year and .426 off the changeup. A far cry from the .337 slug off the changeup last year.

Can Boyd be trusted going further?

Recent concerns about Boyd have begged the question of whether he should be a top choice in a playoff rotation. It would be one thing if the box score results were not great, but it was due to some flukiness. The peripherals and effectiveness of his fastball will make one pause much longer, though.

Heck, for as good as Boyd was last year, had some struggles in the second half. He’s older and has battled injury throughout his career, unfortunately, and one has to ask if the stamina is there. Early this season, there were starts where he looked gassed after just a few innings.

Boyd is a hard, dedicated worker with the talent and ability to make adjustments. With that said, can they be made soon enough? Can the Cubs infrastructure identify issues with his fastball and help him adjust? Will he have the physical stamina to be able to? Time will tell, but we are in the final stretch now, and adjustments have to come quickly.

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On Friday, before the start of a three-game series with the Mariners in Seattle and amid a flurry of roster moves, the Chicago Cubs announced that pitcher Javier Assad had been optioned to Triple-A Iowa, again.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Alex Bregman is the Bizarro Kyle Tucker

Those who’ve lost track of the amount of times the 29-year-old right-hander as been sent down to the minors this season wouldn’t be alone. For the record, it’s officially been three times now, although Chicago also had him start the season in Iowa for the purpose of roster depth management.

This latest demotion comes just about a week after being called up from another demotion—and after delivering three clutch scoreless innings in relief of Kevin Gausman in a 4-3 win over the White Sox.

Another demotion

More News: Chicago Cubs prospect named most likely September callup

Fans have not taken kindly to Assad’s demotions, especially since he’s performed so well as the team’s jack-of-all-trades multi-purpose glue throughout a season full of pitching injuries. On the year, the Mexico native has a 3.46 ERA through 22 games (10 starts and 12 relief appearances) and 83.1 innings pitched. Over his last 9 appearances, though, he’s been nearly lights out, posting a 1.71 ERA to help fortify a pitching staff still reeling from injury-related strain.

One wouldn’t blame Assad for also having some issues with his demotions. However, the realities of the Cubs’ roster continue to make the pitcher a fall guy for Cubs’ pitching depth considerations. Assad is one of the few pitchers currently on staff with minor league options. Optioning other pitchers would result in the Cubs losing them.

“Look, the way Javy’s pitched definitely doesn’t warrant going to the minor leagues,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell explained on Friday. “The other decisions mean we lose the pitcher forever.”

A bitter pill to swallow

This is surely a bitter pill to swallow for a pitcher who is, in a lot of ways, delivering the best work of his career. Counsell is hoping, though, that Assad—as well as any other player—takes the moves with the greater understanding that this is all in the name of winning as a team.

“Giving the players the direct information — whether it’s good news, bad news — has always been the most effective way for me,” Counsell said. “They know how I’m thinking, how the team is thinking, and then they get to choose their response. The vast majority of players want to do the right thing…

You don’t always get the exact news that you’re going to want to get. They’re used to that. If you get to this place, you’ve experienced that. You’ve gone through it. You’ve overcome it. It’s part of being a good competitor. It’s part of being a professional athlete.”

In Assad’s specific case, keeping him as an ace in the hole is a way of preserving a sharp arm who can fill any number of roles as the Cubs work towards a deep playoff run and a shot at a World Series appearance.

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The Chicago Cubs are definitely not having Kyle Tucker non-buyer’s remorse.

After a rough and disappointing end to his 2025 season with the Cubs, the team seemed to make virtually no effort in re-signing the right fielder. They appeared to be just fine with letting the star walk into the open arms of the moneybag Los Angeles Dodgers.

More News: Chicago Cubs prospect named most likely September callup

Before Tucker even signed his crazy “Dodger-y” 4-year, $240 million contract, the Cubs had already unofficially moved on from the 4-time All-Star by signing three-time All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman to a 5-year, $175 million contract.

Chicago has not looked back at that decision with regret.

Bregman could actually be seen as the Bizarro Kyle Tucker at this point.

Bizarro Kyle Tucker

More News: Chicago Cubs farm system trashed, ranked bottom of the barrel

For those unfamiliar with the Superman canon, “Bizarro Superman” is a Superman villain who is just as gifted as the Man of Steel but possesses all the opposite attributes—a villain, not a hero; ice vision instead of heat vision; speaking in opposites; etc. He even has a backward “S” on the front of his costume.

As opposed to Tucker last year with the Cubs, Bregman has come alive in this second half of the season. He’s thrived under the pressure of a push towards the playoffs whereas, last season, Tucker wilted under that same pressure.

Since July 12, Bregman has been one of the hottest hitters in baseball. He’s hit .319 with 10 home runs and 29 RBIs through 33 games after a slow start to the season that saw him bottom out with a .235 average as recently as July 10.

Tucker, meanwhile, is hitting .178 through that same period of time, with just 4 home runs and 8 RBIs. Overall, Tucker has also played a miserable right field—spotlighted by two recent fielding miscues—as Bregman continues to be an ace with the glove at third.

“My message to him is you’re not alone,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts recently said on MLB Network Radio. “He’s probably never struggled like this in his life.”

Well, Roberts clearly didn’t catch Tucker’s 2025 run with the Cubs, where he flatlined entirely from July 1 onward and finished the season with a whimper as an injury-hobbled DH.

It was this beyond-poor showing that brought boos from the usually mega-loyal Wrigley Field faithful late in the season and killed off any debate among the fandom about whether Chicago should bring him back.

Despite a hot start to the 2025 season, where he served as a linchpin for a powerful Cubs lineup, Tucker’s poor performance and seeming indifference to being part of the Cubs family had soured fans entirely on him.

Bregman over Tucker

In signing Bregman, Chicago got a potential impact bat and an elite defender, but they also got the intangibles Tucker sorely lacked. They got a clubhouse leader and a generous team player always willing to extend a hand to help a teammate. Tucker’s reputation is that of a loner and a brooder who doesn’t add drama to a clubhouse, but also doesn’t add much of anything else.

“The one thing he’s brought so much is being able to help guys navigate through things,” shortstop Dansby Swanson said of Bregman, “whether it’s other guys and their at-bats, pitchers and their approach to getting other teams out. He’s best when he’s got his hands in everything.

“Just his knowledge and his perspective on the game itself has really been beneficial for our group. I’ve been able to learn from him, and we’ve all been better for it.”

All in all, even if the two stars were producing similar numbers, the Cubs would remain happy about their Bregman-over-Tucker decision. As things are currently turning out, though, they should be ecstatic.

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Chicago Cubs MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong has had quite the week. His heroics during the White Sox series, including a leadoff home run and a walk-off homer in the same game before leading off the following contest with another home run, made MLB history and grabbed headlines.

However, Crow-Armstrong’s surge at the plate is hardly a new development. Since the All-Star break, he is tied for the MLB lead with 11 home runs, tied for third with 27 RBI, and ranks sixth among qualified hitters with a .974 OPS. Five of those 11 home runs have come this week alone, including three leadoff homers after he opened Friday night’s game against the Seattle Mariners by going deep.

Pete Crow-Armstrong hits a TOWERING home run to lead off the game!

He’s hit a leadoff bomb in three of his last four games pic.twitter.com/Ey7Jt6jEat

— Just Baseball (@JustBB_Media) August 22, 2026

Pete Crow-Armstrong’s three leadoff home runs this week has propelled him up the Chicago Cubs single season leaderboard

Thanks to three leadoff home runs over his last four games, Crow-Armstrong now has seven on the season, moving him into a tie for the third-most in a single season in Cubs history. The last Chicago player to reach that mark was Dexter Fowler in 2016. Only Rick Monday, who hit eight leadoff homers in 1976, and Alfonso Soriano, who clubbed 12 in 2007, have more.

Furthermore, Crow-Armstrong’s leadoff blast against the Mariners on Friday gave him 32 home runs on the season, setting a new career high. With more than a month remaining on the schedule, reaching the 40-homer mark is certainly within reach, especially if he can maintain his current pace or put together another week like this one. Only nine players in Cubs history have reached 40 home runs in a single season, so joining that exclusive group would be quite the accomplishment for the young outfielder.

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The Chicago Cubs have some big roster decisions to make after the end of this season. Chief among them are the decisions on whether to re-sign several players who will be eligible for free agency at the conclusion of the baseball year.

More News: Chicago Cubs farm system trashed, ranked bottom of the barrel

Core veteran components Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Carson Kelly would probably be the roughest losses for a Cubs team looking to win in the here and now.

Complicating matters when it comes to the future of catcher Kelly is the fact that the team has a top-notch catching prospect knocking on the big league door at Triple-A Iowa—Owen Ayers

Ayers likely to be called up?

More News: Chicago Cubs: Bad news update on two injured pitchers, reality checks on two others

In a recent piece at MLB.com, the 25-year-old Ayers was listed as the Cubs’ most likely prospect callup when MLB rosters expand on September 1:

“The Cubs have a quality catching tandem with Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya, and they may not have a lot of at-bats to give a newcomer. But Ayers’ right-handed power and ability to catch while also handling first base and perhaps the outfield corners could make him useful down the stretch. He has gone from 19th-rounder out of Marshall in 2024 to a Top 100 Prospect two years later, and he’s batting .301/.416/.573 with 24 homers and 11 steals in 101 games while advancing from High-A to Triple-A.”

Ayers’ rise to the top-level of the Cubs organization has been quick and mostly unexpected. A 19th round pick in the 2024 draft, the switch-hitting catcher has moved through every level of the organization, but has really turbo-charged his development this season, where he’s gone from High-A South Bend to Double-A Knoxville to Triple-A Iowa.

He’s brought his bat along the way, slashing .304/.417/.570 over the three levels with 24 home runs, 74 RBIs and even 12 stolen bases.

But perhaps the most impressive part of his game is defense, where he’s become a true asset, despite not even playing the position until his senior year in college.

Offense and Defense?

Blessed with a rocket for an arm and overall sound athleticism, he’s currently learning the nuances of the position and has become especially adept at framing.

Per Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register:

Manager Marty Pevey told me he’s been very impressed by the work of catcher Owen Ayers behind the plate:

“He’s so good with his glove that it makes me want to yell at the umpires…He makes pitches that are three (inches) off, appear to be strikes.”

MLB Pipeline currently has him ranked no. 93 on their top prospects list, one of only two Cubs—along with outfielder Josiah Hartshorn—in their Top 100.

This is all good news for a Cubs team in desperate need of some incoming prospect support and a possible replacement for an outgoing Carson Kelly.

Bringing Ayers up for some quality time with big league coaches and veterans, as well as some seasoning in the heat of a playoff race could be valuable for the young talent.

It’ll also be valuable for the Cubs as they assess their catching situation.

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The Chicago Cubs farm system is in a bad place right now, at least according to just about every analyst.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Bad news update on two injured pitchers, reality checks on two others

According to MLB Pipeline, the organization is ranked no. 28 among the 30 MLB clubs.

The team was already top-heavy with talent at the highest levels of the organization as of a couple of years ago and it was obvious that, soon enough, that talent would either be graduated or traded away.

As the Cubs have firmly been in “win now” mode for the last couple seasons, many of those young assets found themselves shipped off in deals to bring in impact talent for the here and now.

Just over these last two seasons, the Cubs have traded away numerous Top 30 prospects, including highly-rated young talents such as Owen Caissie, Jefferson Rojas, Cam Smith, Moises Ballesteros, Jonathan Long, and Mason McGwire.

Then, of course, there are the prospects who have advanced to the major league team, like Matt Shaw, Pedro Ramirez, and Cade Horton.

Deep in recovery, replenish mode

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So, it only stands to reason that the farm system is now deep into recovery and replenish mode.

The experts and analysts, however, are not cutting them any slack.

Per MLB Pipeline:

The Cubs have traded more players (15) appearing on other organizations’ Top 30 Prospects lists, which has taken a toll on their system. Three of their five best farmhands are outfielders from the 2025 Draft (Hartshorn, Ethan Conrad, Kane Kepley) and Ayers continues to build on his Arizona Fall League breakout from a year ago. Chicago desperately needs pitching and took steps to address that shortfall by using 11 of its first 13 selections in the 2026 Draft on pitchers, starting with right-hander Cade Townsend at No. 23 overall.

The online prospect assessment publication only has two Cubs listed among their Top 100 prospects: OF/1B Josiah Hartshorn at no. 39 and C Owen Ayers at no. 93.

Shortly after the MLB Pipeline ranking was released, ESPN issued their own Top prospect rankings and they were even harder on the Cubs. According to them, only one Cub rated among the Top 100—Hartshorn, at no. 41.

Not all doom and gloom

Despite these dismal assessments, everything is not doom and gloom when it comes to Chicago’s farm system.

Hartshorn, Ethan Conrad, and Kane Kepley make up a trio of quality outfield prospects shooting up from the lower levels of the organization right now. Ayers is a stud who could get a call-up to the bigs this season and will almost assuredly be there in 2027. Pitcher Jaxon Wiggins has a high ceiling despite physical struggles this season. Outfielder Kevin Alcantara still has high-end tools and potential. The team also invested heavily in pitching at this year’s draft, giving some hope that the organization will now more aggressively pursue young, quality arms.

Then, there’s the fact that the current big league roster is loaded with 20-something talents who should make up the nucleus of a competitive team for the next few years, as the farm system builds itself back up.

But for the next couple years, maybe, one shouldn’t expect a lot of minor league help jumping up to help the big league Cubs.

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Chicago Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong is in the middle of a historic season and is the current MVP favorite in the National League. Crow-Armstrong has been on a tear as of late as the Cubs look to catch the Milwaukee Brewers.

With PCA already being a popular player in Chicago, the rest of the country is getting a look at what he can do now. It’s caused a spike in his popularity overall as well as his trading card market over the past few months. Being in that MVP race, PCA cards have exploded on the market and the prices have gone significantly up. That will continue to be the case as long as he stays in the MVP race and plays at this level.

But how crazy has it been?

Pete Crow-Armstrong’s card market taking off

Sports Collectors Daily wrote on PCA’s card market last week and how it has taken off. They included some stats as of recent, showing just how much of an impact it has had in the sports collectors world:

With Crow-Armstrong now the clubhouse leader for the NL MVP Award and taking advantage of Shohei Ohtani only being spectacular instead of a unicorn, interest in his cards is growing rapidly.  Nearly every day,.more than 1,000 Crow-Armstrong cards sell on eBay alone.  On August 6, more than 1,800 changed hands. His CardLadder index is up over 44% in the last three months.

Even though he is a 24-year-old who really had his breakout season last year, Crow-Armstrong has been featured on baseball cards for the past decade.

Crow-Armstrong cards are going to go up the better he plays and it wouldn’t shock us to a new record sale set of one of his cards. If you’re chasing PCA rookie cards, autograph cards, or even numbered cards, be ready to open up the wallet.

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The Chicago Cubs have been on the wrong end of several top MLB prospect call-ups this season, and that unfortunate trend is set to continue this weekend. According to Jeff Passan, the Seattle Mariners are calling up left-handed pitching prospect Kade Anderson, who is expected to make his MLB debut against the Cubs on Saturday, August 22.

BREAKING: The Seattle Mariners plan to call up left-hander Kade Anderson, the top pitching prospect in baseball, to start Saturday, sources tell ESPN. Anderson, the third pick in the 2025 draft, has a 1.06 ERA over 93.1 innings with 135 strikeouts, 13 walks and 47 hits allowed.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 20, 2026

Assuming Anderson debuts on Saturday as expected, he will be the first player out of the 2025 MLB Draft to do so. In facing him, Cubs batters won’t be blown away by velocity, as he sits 92-94 MPH. However he has a sinking changeup that has a 48 percent miss rate in the minor leagues this year, while also throwing in a slider and curveball.

Time will tell how Chicago fares against the Mariners’ No. 1 prospect, but the Cubs have already faced a similar challenge this month. On August 12, Chicago squared off against Washington Nationals left-handed pitching prospect Jackson Kent, who entered the game ranked as their No. 9 prospect. The Cubs managed to push three runs across against Kent in four innings, while also drawing five walks.

Beyond facing two of the game’s top left-handed pitching prospects, the Cubs have also had the unusual misfortune of facing two other highly touted prospects during their MLB debuts.

The Chicago Cubs keep getting unlucky with top prospect call-ups, and Kade Anderson is next

Outside of Kent, the Cubs have also faced a pair of highly touted position player prospects in their MLB debuts this season. Back in June, the Colorado Rockies called up center fielder Cole Carrigg, who made his major league debut against Chicago. Carrigg went 1-for-3 in his first game, recording a triple and a walk as he began his MLB career against the Cubs.

More recently, the St. Louis Cardinals promoted Joshua Baez, who made MLB history against Matthew Boyd. He homered in each of his first three at-bats off Boyd, including the first pitch he saw in the majors. Chicago lost that game by 8-4, in which Baez was responsible for five of St. Louis’s runs scored.

Ahead of Anderson’s MLB Debut this weekend, all this is a remainder of the unusual trend Chicago has faced this season. Now, the Cubs will have to contend with yet another highly touted prospect making his first appearance at the big league level, and against a Mariners team fighting for a playoff spot.

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Before the 2026 MLB season, the Chicago Cubs made the decision to sign free agent third baseman Alex Bregman to a five-year $175 million contract. With such a large salary, the team hoped that he would be an immediate force in the middle of their lineup. Unfortunately, that is not how things came to pass.

In March/April, Bregman hit .258/.350/.371 with three home runs and 11 RBI. In May, he struggled more, slashing .261/.331/.357 with two home runs and seven RBI.

But even that was not as bad as June, when he hit .200/.348/.300 with two home runs and 11 RBI. It was not until after the All-Star break that Chicago started to see a return on its investment.

Chicago Cubs 3B Alex Bregman suddenly named a top-10 hitter in MLB

As of late, though, Bregman has been on a tear. Indeed, in 31 games played since the All-Star break, the Cubs third baseman is hitting .296/.371/.536 with seven home runs and 22 RBI.

His recent stretch led a panel of reporters and analysts from MLB.com to declare Bregman the ninth-best hitter in baseball (currently):

“Like Alonso, Bregman signed a five-year deal with a new team in the offseason, arriving with expectations of helping lead a club with high hopes for 2026. Like Alonso, he didn’t introduce himself to a new fanbase with his best foot forward. And, once more, like Alonso, he is rectifying that as the season goes along. Bregman owns an .888 OPS since July 1, with nine of his 16 total home runs, and perhaps not coincidentally, the Cubs are 26-15 in that time.”

It is also worth noting that Bregman now has more RBI (63) at this point in the season than he did all of last year (62). He has not produced to the level Chicago has wanted overall, but he is starting to be more productive when they have needed him to be the most.

Come October, it will not matter how badly he struggled earlier in the year if he keeps on hitting the way he has in August.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs get bad news update on two injured pitchers
• Cubs rookie gets high praise from Alex Bregman
• Daniel Palencia will have a different role for Cubs after he returns

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago  sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs have a 98.6% chance to make the MLB Playoffs. In other words, the only realistic way in which they do not appear in the postseason is if they go on an all time run of futility and collapse. Jobs would almost certainly be lost on the coaching staff, and numerous players would be sent packing.

Realistically, Chicago is about to cruise into October looking to make some noise in the ultra-competitive National League. However, they are poised to do so as the league’s top Wild Card and not as a division leader.

The biggest question facing the Chicago Cubs is if they can catch the Milwaukee Brewers

At 74-54, Chicago has the fifth-best record in all Major League Baseball. However, they stand five full games behind the Milwaukee Brewers for first place in the National League Central Division. If they are unable to overtake Milwaukee, the Brewers will win the NL Central for the fourth year in a row.

According to Cubs insider Jordan Bastian, whether or not they can reclaim the division lead is the biggest question facing Chicago at this point in the season:

“A three-game losing streak back from June 7-10 knocked the Cubs eight games behind the Brewers in the NL Central. At that moment in time, Chicago’s odds of winning the division slipped to 5.5%, per FanGraphs.

“The North Siders played 21 games above .500 over the next 59 games (40-19) to not only strengthen their grip on a Wild Card spot but also pull within shouting distance of Milwaukee.

“The Cubs have a challenging schedule the rest of the way, but chasing down the Brewers remains a goal for a club that added two veteran starters — Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes — at the Deadline, have an MVP contender in Pete Crow-Armstrong and boast baseball’s best defense.”

Despite their 40-19 run over their last 59 games, the Cubs picked up only three games on the Brewers. However, Chicago still has seven games remaining this season against Milwaukee, four of which will be played at home at Wrigley Field.

There is no argument that the Cubs boast a more potent offense. However, Milwaukee’s pitching staff has been far more dominant and, almost just as vital, healthy.

The division race could really come down to which of the two teams is able to finish the year with the more healthy pitching staff.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs get bad news update on two injured pitchers
• Cubs rookie gets high praise from Alex Bregman
• Daniel Palencia will have a different role for Cubs after he returns

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago  sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs are 74-54 following their series victory over their southside rivals. It was truly an amazing series, one that saw the Cubs win the first two games in walk-off fashion. The first game saw Pete Crow-Armstrong hit a walk-off home run in extra innings (after he led off that same contest with a home run), and Alex Bregman win the second contest with a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth.

Despite their winnings ways of late, Chicago still remains five games out of first place in the National League Central Division. However, their strong play is a strong indication that they are not resigned to settling for a Wild Card spot again. They are fighting until the very end.

Alex Bregman gets a shoutout as the Chicago Cubs come in fifth in the latest power rankings

Thursday’s ESPN MLB power rankings saw the Cubs slide in at fifth, a position they held last week too. In their explanation for the ranking, they gave Bregman a shoutout for how good he has been as of late:

“Alex Bregman quietly had one of the better weeks among all hitters. Yes, his first three-homer game created some headlines, but he followed that with a three-hit game Monday while continuing to earn his share of walks and keeping the line moving for the Cubs.

“The best version of Bregman has him hitting doubles to right and right center while pulling homers to hitter-friendly left field at Wrigley — at least when the wind is blowing out. Over the course of six games last week, he had the highest OPS in baseball.”

Bregman is currently hitting .255/.345/.404 this year, which is a dip from the .273/.360/.462 that he hit before they signed him to a five-year $175 million contract. However, he has nearly as many home runs (16) as he did last year (18), and more RBI (63 compared to 62).

In the 31 games he has played since the All-Star break, Bregman is hitting .296/.371/.536 with seven home runs and 22 RBI. He has been especially hot thus far in August, slashing .296/.375/.549. His five home runs this month are the most he has hit in any month this year, and his 16 RBI are his second-highest monthly total.

It is August 20.

If he can keep up his recent offensive hot streak, Chicago can continue to make things difficult in the NL Central.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Cubs get bad news update on two injured pitchers
• Cubs rookie gets high praise from Alex Bregman
• Daniel Palencia will have a different role for Cubs after he returns

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago  sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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A big storyline in this latter part of the season for the Chicago Cubs has been the small legion of injured pitchers approaching a return to the majors.

More News: Chicago Cubs rookie gets high praise from Alex Bregman, “He’s gonna be a superstar”

With the four pitchers picked up at the trade deadline and those slated for a comeback, fans and media anticipated a surplus of pitching possibilities as the regular season ended and the postseason began.

Some of those big comebacks look to be on the verge of panning out. Closer Daniel Palencia will be activated from the IL this Friday. Hoby Milner will be joining the team soon. The Cubs are also issuing positive reports on Ben Brown, who they believe could be back in a bullpen capacity by the final stretch of the season.

Some of the anticipated returns, however, are not so filled with positivity.

Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic recently posted an update on some of the Cubs pitchers working towards a return—and there was just as much bad and neutral news as there was good news.

Reality checks on Steele and Miller

More News: Chicago Cubs: Gausman, Cabrera struggles create opening for Assad’s forced entry

Justin Steele, who suffered a setback in his recovery from last year’s elbow surgery, is now firmly in the “well, maybe not after all” lane after earlier reports of the veteran lefty possibly coming back in time for the postseason.

Per Sharma:

“Justin Steele continues his methodical rehab process as Counsell said he’s on the “precipice” of facing hitters. It remains to be seen if he can get back to the big leagues this season. Just getting in game action, at any level, before the end of the season would be nice for Steele.”

Shelby Miller was signed to a two-year deal this offseason with the understanding that 2026 would be a recovery year after elbow surgery last fall. The veteran’s recovery, however, has been ahead of schedule and he’s already been designated for a minor league rehab assignment.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean that he’ll be back in the majors this season. Counsell has recently thrown a bit of a wet blanket over the idea of Miller pitching for Chicago in 2026.

“This is a longer ramp-up because we have to make sure Shelby can recover,” Counsell said. “He can’t pitch on a schedule; he has to be a standard member of the bullpen. And that’s probably the thing that will take a little longer.”

Bad news on Martin and Harvey

Meanwhile, the Cubs manager has flat-out nixed the possibility of rookie Riley Martin pitching for the Cubs this season. The southpaw seemed to be at the start of a breakthrough season until he went on the shelf with a left elbow flexor strain. Per Sharma, the injury could possibly even require surgery.

Also firmly aboard the bad news train is Hunter Harvey.

“We’re not in a great place with Harvey,” Counsell said. “He’s struggling to get going. We are running out of time there. The next couple days should tell us what direction we’re going there.”

The oft-injured righty was acquired on a one-year, $6 million contract in the offseason as a possible late-game, high-leverage bullpen asset. Harvey’s 2026, however, consists of just 4 innings pitched and an ERA of 6.75.

At least the Cubs will have Palencia and Milner back soon enough. Maybe even Brown could keep himself healthy playing a short-burst high-leverage role in the bullpen as the regular season comes to an end.

Chicago, like every other team pushing for postseason glory, will need all the pitching it can get.

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The Chicago Cubs have had a lot of good fortune, even in a season overloaded with injury and misfortune. There is, after all, a reason the team is 20 games over .500 and atop the NL Wild Card race despite multiple high-profile injuries.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Gausman, Cabrera struggles create opening for Assad’s forced entry

One of this season’s good-news stories is a bit of a surprise—Pedro Ramirez.

The 22-year-old prospect was well-regarded in the Cubs organization, although not especially earmarked for big things in the big leagues. But the switch-hitting Venezuelan seemingly flipped a switch over the last year or so and turned himself into one of the organization’s most valued prospects. During spring training this season, he turned heads and captured the notice of manager Craig Counsell, who later said that Ramirez was big league-ready right out of the pre-season.

“He’s a big-leaguer,” Counsell said at the time. “He’s going to be a good big-leaguer. He’s got a really good head on his shoulders, really good baseball intelligence. It’s great to see him off to a good start and really taking another step.”

Given his overall development, it wasn’t a surprise that he’d make the major league roster at some point in 2026. And when Matt Shaw went down to injury, it was a no-brainer that Ramirez—who profiles as a similar multi-tool, multi-role asset as Shaw—would get the call.

Ramirez has now firmly established himself as a big league asset. Over 52 games, but with limited plate appearances, he’s hitting .285 with 2 home runs and 15 RBIs. On the field, he’s played second base, third base, first base, and left field and has done well at all positions.

Bregman on Ramirez

More News: Pete Crow-Armstrong gushes over hero Javy Baez: “He was the s**t”

Teammates have noticed Ramirez as someone who plays with the poise and baseball IQ of a veteran, but with the enthusiasm of a kid.

Third baseman Alex Bregman would even go on record recently with high praise, predicting big things for the rookie.

“Pedro Ramirez, in my opinion, I think, is gonna be a superstar,” Bregman said in a post-game interview with TNT Sports.

Finding an every day spot

Talk is already circulating regarding possible every day roles for the young talent. With Bregman at third and Nico Hoerner at second—Ramirez’s two strongest positions—playing time will be very limited there. One possible option, though, is putting him in a corner outfield spot as a fill-in for either Ian Happ or Seiya Suzuki, who both become free agents at the end of this season.

Per Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic:

“The Cubs have been so impressed with Ramírez that they’re already starting to wonder how he fits into their future. With Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki heading into free agency this winter, the Cubs are getting comfortable with the idea of giving Ramírez an everyday role in a corner outfield spot.”

Whatever the case, the Cubs have been impressed by what they’ve seen and clearly feel that they are a better team with Ramirez around.

The post Chicago Cubs rookie gets high praise from Alex Bregman, “He’s gonna be a superstar” appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are 74-54 following the 3-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday afternoon. Still, they took two out of three from their cross-town rivals, and are primed to take on the lowly Seattle Mariners this weekend.

What is more, the Cubs announced on Wednesday that their injured closer, Daniel Palencia, will be activated from the injured list on Friday. He recently had been transferred to the 60-day injured list in a flurry of roster moves Chicago made as more players were placed on respective injured lists and prospects called up to take their spots on the active roster.

Daniel Palencia will not be the Chicago Cubs closer when he returns

Palencia’s move to the 60-day injured list was not because he suffered a setback in his recovery. Instead, it was because Chicago temporarily needed to create a spot on the 40-man roster.

Earlier today, the Cubs announced that their closer will be activated from the injured list on Friday and join them for their series against the Mariners. However, he will not return as their closer.

According to Cubs Insider:

“Rather than have him resume his role as closer, Craig Counsell said on Tuesday that Palencia will serve as an out-getter as the situation dictates. Pitching coach Tommy Hottovy joined The Score’s Mully & Haugh Wednesday morning to discuss the pending activation and how the Cubs view Palencia as a weapon moving forward.”

Instead of being the closer, manager Craig Counsell plans on using him as an “out-getter.” In other words, he will be used in high-leverage situations at various points in any given game that calls for a pitcher to get 1-2 outs.

Presumably, the hope is that the Cubs can preserve Palencia for a hopeful run in the MLB Playoffs.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Gausman, Cabrera struggles opened the door for Assad’s forced entry
• Pete Crow-Armstrong gushes over hero Javy Baez
• Cubs’ 2nd straight walk-off victory comes close to club record and PCA history

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago  sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs have claimed infielder Gabriel Arias from the Mets. Arias, 26, was recently designated for assignment by the Mets after appearing in just two games for them. Earlier this season, he was with the Guardians, whom he had played for since his MLB debut in 2022.

This move comes in the wake of the Dansby Swanson injury, adding some infield depth while the Gold Glover is sidelined.

The Cubs claimed INF Gabriel Arias off waivers from the Mets. Gives them a guy with some experience to back-up around the diamond with Dansby Swanson down.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) August 19, 2026

Picking up a versatile infielder in Arias.

Arias is known more for his glove than his bat. In 364 career MLB games he has slashed .218/.274/.358 with 30 homers, 111 RBI, and a 76 wRC+. He has played all over the infield, with 189.2 innings at first, 261.1 innings at second, 1,488 innings at short, and 572.1 innings at third. Sprinkle in 173 innings in the outfield, and he’s played pretty much everywhere but catcher.

The defensive metrics slightly vary from position, but he’s a career 7 OAA (Outs Above Average) fielder at short. Last year he was a 3 DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) fielder at short in a career-high 862 innings. He’s fairly average around the rest of the infield based on OAA, ranging from -1 to 3 between the other three infield spots in his career. One thing to note is that he has a very strong arm.

Nifty catch by Gabriel Arias in the sixth, and a strong throw to turn a double play.

Arias also has hit a three-run homer tonight. pic.twitter.com/axKwsL4VQb

— Tim Stebbins (@tim_stebbins) April 11, 2025

It’s not overly exciting, and if he sticks, he won’t play much, but it’s depth. Since Swanson’s injury, there have been several plays that demonstrated just how impactful his glove is. Arias is no Swanson, but adding experience there in certain situations can be useful. It also potentially takes some pressure off rookie Pedro Ramirez in a late-game situation.

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The Chicago Cubs have been dealing with significant injuries on their roster all season long. Unfortunately, it does not seem like the injury bug is going to leave them alone any time soon. The most recent victim is shortstop Dansby Swanson, who is now on the injured list with an oblique strain.

Recent reports state that Swanson’s injury requires a 4-6 week recovery time. The Cubs believe that it will be closer to four weeks, but one can never be too certain with obliques. In any case, Chicago faces the prospect of having to go through most of the rest of the year without their starting shortstop.

The Chicago Cubs have claimed Gabriel Arias off waivers

On Wednesday afternoon, it was reported that the Cubs have claimed infielder Gabriel Arias off of waivers from the New York Mets:

The Cubs claimed INF Gabriel Arias off waivers from the Mets. Gives them a guy with some experience to back-up around the diamond with Dansby Swanson down.

— Jesse Rogers (@JesseRogersESPN) August 19, 2026

Arias had been designated for assignment by the New York Mets, with whom he appeared in two games and did not record a hit. He had previously been designated for assignment by the Cleveland Guardians, with whom he spent the first 4.5 years of his MLB career.

So far this season, Arias is hitting .235/.273/.371 with five home runs and 11 RBI in 44 games. For his career, he is a .218/.274/.358 hitter.

Arias’ best season was last year when he hit .220/.274/.363 with 11 home runs and 54 RBI in 129 games played.

While Arias does provide the Cubs with some depth at shortstop, he is a super utility player who has appeared at every single position on the field on the Major League level except for pitcher and catcher.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Gausman, Cabrera struggles opened the door for Assad’s forced entry
• Pete Crow-Armstrong gushes over hero Javy Baez
• Cubs’ 2nd straight walk-off victory comes close to club record and PCA history

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago  sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs notched another magical walk-off win on Tuesday—their thirteenth of the season and second in two games. In doing so, they secured the three-game series against the crosstown rival White Sox.

More News: Pete Crow-Armstrong gushes over hero Javy Baez: “He was the s**t”

But even with extreme positivity surrounding this team, there are still some areas of concern. The starting rotation is one of them.

Back at the August 3 trade deadline, the Cubs added veteran starters Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes, immediately installing them as key pieces to a rotation besieged by injury over the course of the season. With power-pitching starter Edward Cabrera slated to return from the IL soon, there was talk of the team almost having too much depth in the rotation, lacking spots to put qualified starters.

A little over two weeks later, lack of depth seems to be of greater concern than excessive depth.

Rotation Concerns

More News: Chicago Cubs: What to do with free agency-bound Ian Happ?

For one, Cabrera was returned to the IL just one day after being activated and following a horrendous 7 earned runs in 3.2 innings performance.

On Tuesday, starter Gausman left the game after just 4.1 innings, suffering from a cramp in his non-throwing hand. It was an odd reason for removal, but it’s not like the former Toronto Blue Jay was doing all that well anyway.

In this recent outing, the veteran allowed 3 earned runs on 7 hits through the 86-pitching appearance, bringing his ERA through three Cubs starts to a disappointing 6.19.

“I’ve had it happen but usually it’s when I’m kind of over 100 pitches,” Gausman told reporters after the Cubs’ 4-3 win. So that’s when I kind of run into it. Never had it happen that early in an outing. You know, so that’s why it’s kind of frustrating.”

Meanwhile, Javier Assad, who had just been recalled from Triple-A to replace Cabrera—after being sent down to accommodate Cabrera’s return—once again stole the pitching show with a shutdown performance.

The case for Javier Assad

The 29-year-old delivered 3 strong shutout innings to keep the Cubs in the game and help facilitate the comeback win.

On the season, Assad has a 3.46 ERA, but has been glue—both in the rotation and bullpen—to help hold together a pitching staff stressed and strained from injury. Over the last two months, the right-hander has been stellar, posting a 1.71 ERA over 9 appearances.

Assad has been moved back and forth from the minors to the majors multiple times this year due to his status as one of the few Cubs pitchers with minor league options remaining. After this latest game-saving performance, though, there’s been an outcry to just keep him on the big league team.

Throughout his five-year run with Chicago, Assad has frequently been the odd man out. Some speculate that this is because his metrics just don’t support the success he’s had at the big league level and the Cubs tend to lean heavily on metrics. But after 5 seasons, 100 games, and 414.1 innings, maybe it’s time to put the metrics aside.

Per Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib:

“The theme of Assad’s tenure with the Cubs is that he always outperforms his metrics. This season is no different. Through a tick over 83 innings pitched this season, Assad’s xERA is 4.63 and his FIP is 4.97. In other words, Assad’s profile is not meant to be finding the success that he has routinely had during his five-year run with the Cubs.

For his career, Assad carries a 3.43 ERA, with a FIP of 4.56. Assad’s success rarely makes sense, considering the metrics, but he’s become the most dependable pitcher the Cubs have on their staff.”

With Cabrera on the outs and Gausman struggling, the Cubs’ pitching depth may not be so prodigious after all. Assad might end up being the rotation’s salvation.

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Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has loudly been making his case for an MVP award this season with a 2026 that, at times, seems almost too grandiose to be real.

More News: Chicago Cubs: What to do with free agency-bound Ian Happ?

On Monday, “PCA” opened the game with the crosstown rival White Sox at Wrigley Field with a leadoff home run and closed the game with a tenth inning walk off home run to close the game. On Tuesday, he led off, again, with a home run to give the Cubs the early lead.

On the season, the 24-year-old is hitting .282 with 31 home runs and 79 RBIs while also stealing 31 bases and playing elite outfield defense. Beyond the numbers, it seems like the young talent’s very presence on the field is electric and that he just makes things happen when he’s involved.

The last player to give off that kind of energy was shortstop Javier Baez.

Ironically enough, there are two ties that connect the Cub impact players.

First, of course, Crow-Armstrong came to the Cubs from the New York Mets organization in a 2021 trade for Baez and pitcher Trevor Williams.

The second connection is a lesser-known one—Baez was PCA’s baseball hero growing up.

“The most exciting thing to ever happen to my childhood”

More News: Chicago Cubs: Counsell offers brutally honest take on Cabrera’s troubles

“I don’t know how to talk about it really,” Crow-Armstrong recently gushed on the Pardon My Take podcast. “Because it is crazy. That was my favorite player. That was my favorite player by far. I remember trying to hit like him in the cage.”

“Oh, God! I remember just everything about that guy,” he said. “I remember his first homer in Coors. Like, he just, he was the most exciting thing to ever happen to my childhood probably…That guy was the sh*t. He was the coolest.”

And when he learned as a 19-year-old prospect that he had been traded for his hero, Crow-Armstrong admits that it was hard to process.

“I did not believe it when I found out, really,” he said. “But yeah, I got to meet him last year.”

The PCA-Baez meeting

That first meeting took place in June of 2025 at Comerica Park against the Detroit Tigers.

Between innings, Crow-Armstrong approached Baez to thank him and let him know how much he meant to him.

“I got to say thank you for just existing because that’s why I’m here now,” Crow-Armstrong said.

Baez, who was once the gushing young star himself, was touched and came away with nothing but positives from the meeting.

“He’s a really nice guy,” Baez later said. “It feels good to know the young guys know my career.”

There really are a lot of similarities between the two players, aside from the energy they bring to the field every day. Elite, almost otherworldly, defense is one. The potential for impact offense is another.

Baez, however, was never quite able to conquer his instincts to hack at the plate and chase pitches out of the zone. Crow-Armstrong, who was similarly aggressive, seems to have tempered that flaw in his game this season.

PCA is now deeply in the conversation for MVP consideration while bringing Javy Baez “what will he do next” vibes to this 2026 Cubs team.

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For the second consecutive night, Chicago Cubs fans witnessed history. On Monday, Aug. 17, Pete Crow-Armstrong stole the spotlight by going 4-for-5 with two home runs, including a leadoff blast and a walk-off homer, while also becoming the latest member of the 30/30 club. One night later, he once again greeted the crosstown rival White Sox with a leadoff home run, continuing his remarkable stretch.

According to Sarah Langs, no other Cubs player has followed a walk-off home run by leading off the next game with another home run. Crow-Armstrong is just the 13th player since 1900 to accomplish the feat, with José Altuve being the most recent in 2021. Even more impressively, Crow-Armstrong is the first player in MLB history to hit a leadoff home run in a game immediately after hitting both a leadoff and walk-off home run in the previous game.

Outside of Crow-Armstrong’s continued brilliance, the Cubs and White Sox once again needed a walk-off to decide the crosstown matchup. This time, the Cubs took care of business in the ninth inning to secure the win following a 1-hour, 28-minute rain delay. The delay appeared to disrupt the White Sox’s bullpen plans, as the tarp came onto the field before Grant Taylor could enter for what was expected to be a multi-inning appearance. In the end, it was Alex Bregman who delivered the decisive blow, driving in the game-winning run against Trevor Richards.

Alex Bregman’s walk-off gives Chicago Cubs second straight walk-off over White Sox, inching them closer to franchise record

2026 has quickly become the year of the walk-off victory for the Cubs. After delivering two more in consecutive games, Chicago now has 13 walk-off wins on the season, putting them just one shy of the franchise record of 14, set in 1930. The Cubs’ 13 walk-offs also match their total from 2015, the last season in which they came this close to the franchise mark. With plenty of baseball still to play, Chicago has a legitimate chance to set a new franchise record.

Start singing, Cubs fans

Alex Bregman lines a walk-off single! pic.twitter.com/7TeHNJZw8c

— MLB (@MLB) August 19, 2026

The Cubs’ ability to win in dramatic fashion has become one of the defining stories of their 2026 season. Furthermore, Pete Crow-Armstrong has been at the center of it as his historic two-homer performance in game one, followed by another leadoff blast the next night, helped set the stage and further strengthen his case to become the first Cubs MVP since Kris Bryant in 2016.

The post Cubs’ 2nd straight walk-off comes with near franchise record and more Pete Crow-Armstrong history appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs spent much of the early part of the season wondering when Pete Crow-Armstrong was going to snap out of his long slump. While he had the franchise’s first 30-30 season since Sammy Sosa last season, he hit just .216/.262/.372 with six home runs and 24 RBI after last year’s All-Star break.

In March/April of this season, Crow-Armstrong hit just .241/.307/.362 with three home runs and 13 RBI. In May, he hit .233/.344/.418 with four home runs and 13 more RBI.

But then the calendar flipped to June, and PCA took off. That month, he hit .381/.468/.781 with 11 home runs and 20 RBI. After having been moved down to ninth in the batting order, he was put back in the leadoff spot and has not looked back.

Chicago Cubs players believe Pete Crow-Armstrong should win the NL MVP Award

In July, PCA hit .278/.400/.611 with six home runs and 17 RBI. So far in August, he has a slash line of .273/.377/.636 with six home runs and 15 RBI (and the month is only half over).

On Monday night, the Cubs centerfielder took the first pitch he saw for a leadoff home run. Then, in the bottom of the tenth inning, he hit a walk-off bomb for his second longshot on the night, giving him another 30-30 season.

Afterwards, his teammates left no doubt who should win the National League MVP Award.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a player like that “where you watch him play, and make the fantastic plays that he does, and you’re not really surprised,” Shota Imanaga said. “But it’s the expectations that you may have, or a fan may have for him, and he always passes it. It’s been incredible.”

“I’m glad he’s on my team,” said Jacob Webb. “I’m going to say Pete’s my MVP. Definitely, I feel like he’s earned it. I think he’s that good of a player.”

Cubs manager Craig Counsell added, “This might be his best game in the big leagues right here. It was an amazing game.”

So far in 2026, Crow-Armstrong is hitting .281/.379/.550 with 30 home runs, 78 RBI, and 31 stolen bases. He also leads Major League Baseball with a 7.7 WAR.

It has gotten to the point where many believe that, since Shohei Ohtani is not pitching right now due to injury, PCA is the favorite to win the NL MVP Award.

He almost certainly deserves it.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• What the Cubs should do with free agency-bound Ian Happ
• Edward Cabrera latest setback highlights front office failure
• Craig Counsell offers honest take on Edward Cabrera’s struggles

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago  sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs have established themselves as perennial contenders in the National League. In order to get to this point, they have both acquired and developed players that are mainstays at various positions. Currently, Michael Busch is entrenched at first base; but there was a time not too long ago when Chicago did not have a sure answer at first base. As a result, multiple veterans were signed and given the opportunity to stick, though none succeeded until Busch.

One of these was Trey Mancini, who announced his retirement from baseball today after an eight-year career.

Former Chicago Cubs first baseman Trey Mancini has retired from baseball

Mancini, one of the most inspirational players in the game, played for the Cubs in 2023. That year, he hit .234/.299/.336 with four home runs and 28 RBI in 79 games.

On Tuesday, he announced his retirement:

Trey Mancini has announced his retirement after 8 Major League seasons spent with the Orioles, Astros, Cubs and Angels.

The 34-year-old Mancini was awarded AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2021 after missing the previous season as he battled colon cancer. He completed his… pic.twitter.com/RPpaigba50

— MLB (@MLB) August 18, 2026

As mentioned in the post above, Mancini saw his Major League career interrupted when he was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2020 while playing for the Baltimore Orioles. The year prior, he had hit .291/.364/.535 with 35 home runs and 97 RBI. At the time, he looked like a rising star in the league.

Mancini beat cancer and returned to the Majors in 2021 with Baltimore. That year, he was the AL Comeback Player of the Year after hitting .255/.326/.432 with 21 home runs and 71 RBI.

The Orioles traded Mancini to the Houston Astros in 2022, and helped that team win the World Series. After playing for Chicago in 2023, Mancini took a year off from baseball.

Desiring to play in the Majors once more, he signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, but spent all of 2025 at Triple-A.

This season, he signed another minor league deal, this time with the Los Angeles Angeles. He was called up in early June, and hit .308/.286/.462 with four RBI in five games. The Angels designated Mancini for assignment on June 17.

But he did it. For the second time in his career, he overcame impossible odds and returned to the Majors, albeit for a brief while.

And now, his career is done. On his terms.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• What the Cubs should do with free agency-bound Ian Happ
• Edward Cabrera latest setback highlights front office failure
• Craig Counsell offers honest take on Edward Cabrera’s struggles

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago  sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs may be working towards a playoff berth, but they also have to be looking at the situation facing them after this season.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Counsell offers brutally honest take on Cabrera’s troubles

A good portion of the current roster will be eligible for free agency and many big decisions will have to be made when it comes to roster and budget for 2027 and beyond.

Among those potentially leaving are core veterans Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, Matthew Boyd, Shota Imanaga, and Carson Kelly. Then, there are the short-timers and add-ons who will also potentially be leaving like Kevin Gausman, David Peterson, Michael Conforto, Hoby Milner, Tyrone Taylor, Aaron Civale, Trent Thornton, Ryan Rolison, and likely Clay Holmes, who’s sitting on a $12 million player’s option for 2027.

While the Cubs could go out and fill all those spots with new acquisitions, they’d probably prefer to keep a few around—especially the core veterans.

Left fielder Ian Happ is one of those who should be considered in the “must retain” conversation.

There’s definitely a case to be made against keeping the 10-year veteran around.

The argument against Ian Happ

More News: Chicago Cubs: Daniel Palencia cooks in latest rehab outing, nearing return to majors

His long stretches of flat-lining offensive production are beyond frustrating and, ultimately, problematic for a Cubs team in “win now” mode. Currently hitting .215, he’s on track to have the lowest average of his career in this contract year.

The biggest case against re-signing Happ, though, may be that spending money to do so could cost the team money arguably better spent on keeping Seiya Suzuki or on pitching over the offseason.

The 32-year-old is currently finishing up a 3-year, $61 contract extension and will surely be expecting more money for a longer time in any new deal. Even given his defensive excellence and his leadership role on the team, spending $100+ million for five more years of Happ doesn’t seem like outfielder money optimally spent—especially with a trio of quality outfield prospects (Josiah Hartshorn, Ethan Conrad, and Kane Kepley) a couple of years away from being major league-ready and Suzuki also heading into free agency.

Jordan Campbell of Cubbies Crib succinctly sums up the dilemma facing the Cubs:

“A quick reminder on the truths facing the Cubs this season. Both Happ and Suzuki will be free agent this offseason. Most of the Cubs’ pitching staff will also hit free agency. The Cubs’ primary focus will be on adding pitching. Suzuki is pacing to be one of the best free-agent bats available. Happ should also be coveted, but his peculiar 2026 season likely places him in tier below Suzuki’s contract projections.”

But Happ’s plug-and-play consistency…

Having Happ around in left field, on a team with explosive offensive potential all around him, would be nice. He’s a low-volatility plug-and-play asset who’s a known, consistent commodity. You know you’re getting a Gold Glove left fielder, 20+ home runs, a league-average (or slightly lower) batting average, and pockets of high-end production around his extended slumps.

He’s also a player firmly invested in the city of Chicago with his roots firmly planted there.

Given his affinity for the city and for the Cubs organization, could Happ be willing to go for a two or three-year extension with just a slight raise in AAV—maybe even a good chunk of the money coming via deferred payment?

That might be the compromise to make. Because, realistically, if the choice ends up being either him or Suzuki, there’s probably more of a case to be made in retaining the Japanese star.

The post Chicago Cubs: What to do with free agency-bound Ian Happ? appeared first on ChiCitySports.

Edward Cabrera’s outing last Sunday after his stint on the IL was a stuff made of nightmares. Not only did he get rocked, but it was also revealed after the game that he had another blister.

The Cubs were in scramble mode today, as multiple pitchers were called up. And Cabrera goes to another IL stint after just one start. At this point, the Cubs aren’t dealing with bad luck. They’re dealing with a pitcher they cannot rely on.

Cabrera’s blister issues have officially crossed the threshold from “annoying” to “career‑defining.” This latest flare‑up puts him back on the IL. He won’t return to the rotation, and they must treat him as a bullpen‑only option the rest of this season.

Cabrera said he wants to help the team win, including going to the bullpen, which sounds nice and contrite. But even if he pitches out of the bullpen after his latest IL stint, will the Cubs have any idea what version of Cabrera they’re getting? More importantly, can they even trust him?

Jed Hoyer’s gamble on Cabrera looks like a failure

Cubs fans will remember Jed Hoyer was pursuing another Marlins pitcher, Jesus Luzardo, back in 2024. But the medical red flags spooked the front office enough to walk away. The Marlins ended up trading him to the Phillies. During the 2025 campaign, compiling a 15-7 record and 3.92 ERA with 216 strikeouts. He signed a 5-year, $135 million extension in March, and he is 11-5 with a 3.23 ERA and went to his first All-Star Game this season.

Meanwhile, the Cubs acquired Cabrera as a long‑term rotation piece who could anchor the staff a year later. Though he dealt with blisters in the past, Hoyer gambled that Cabrera’s stuff and upside would outweigh the risk. 

Which part of Luzardo’s medical report made Hoyer walk away? Why wasn’t Cabrera’s history of blisters a problem?  Right now, the trade looks like a massive failure for Hoyer and the Cubs.  

Here’s the part that makes the Cabrera situation borderline catastrophic for the Cubs: He becomes a free agent after the 2028 season.

And look at the timeline:

• 2026: A complete wash — injuries, inconsistency, and now another IL stint
• 2027: Expected to be wiped out by the looming strike
• 2028: His final year under team control 

That means the Cubs realistically have only one more season to figure out what Cabrera actually is.

Further complicating things for the Cubs is that there are many starting pitchers who will become free agents at the end of the season: Shota Imanaga, Matthew Boyd, and three pitchers Hoyer recently acquired: David Peterson, Kevin Gausman, and Clay Holmes.

Both Gausman and Boyd will be 36 next season; Imanaga and Holmes will turn 34, and Peterson will be 32. The Cubs might still have to re‑sign a few of them, age concerns or not. That’s because no one in their minor league system who is remotely ready to contribute right now. That explains why they drafted 15 collegiate pitchers in this year’s draft.

The entire point of landing a controllable pitcher is availability, durability, and reliability. Instead, the Cubs have a pitcher who can’t stay healthy enough to stay in the rotation. And they have no realistic path to a long‑term commitment.

Hoyer will likely enter another off-season tasked with upgrading the rotation. But can he afford to trade away top-hitting prospects like Ethan Conrad, Kane Kepley, and Josiah Hartshon for another shot at a controllable pitcher? The price will be much steeper than what they gave up for Cabrera.

With Luzardo’s success in Philadelphia, Hoyer better be ready to face more pressure and skepticism moving forward.

The post Edward Cabrera’s latest setback is a full‑blown front‑office failure appeared first on ChiCitySports.

The Chicago Cubs are at wit’s end when it comes to Edward Cabrera.

On Monday, just a day after coming off the IL and getting shellacked by the St. Louis Cardinals at Wrigley Field, the hard-throwing right-hander was put right back on the IL with blister issues.

More News: Chicago Cubs: Daniel Palencia cooks in latest rehab outing, nearing return to majors

While the 15-day shelving of the 28-year-old should give him plenty of time to get healthy and rejoin the team before the end of the regular season, there’s no guarantee anymore that the Cubs’ plans involve him. The power pitcher is now on his third IL stint of the season and is sporting an ugly 5.68 ERA over 15 starts.

In the heat of a pennant race and with the playoffs virtually right around the corner, the team simply doesn’t have the time or the space to figure out Cabrera’s problems and get them sorted out.

Counsell: “I wish every story was a success story.”

More News: Chicago Cubs: Patience for Cabrera runs thin, Counsell speaks on pitcher’s future

Manager Craig Counsell, speaking to media after the Cubs’ exciting tenth inning walkoff win on Monday, displayed surprising candor when it comes to the whole Cabrera situation.

“It hasn’t clicked,” Counsell told reporters. “You spend a lot of time figuring those out. I wish every story was a success story. This one, right now, is not. We’re certainly going to keep working on trying to find answers there and trying to find solutions.”

Cabrera came to Chicago this past offseason in a trade with the Miami Marlins in exchange for the Cubs’ no. 1 prospect Owen Caissie and two infield prospects. The Cubs had long been enamored by Cabrera’s raw ability and his potential to develop into an ace-level starting pitcher. The feeling was that the native of the Dominican Republic had turned a corner in his development last year and was maybe just a tweak or two away from becoming the consistent front-of-rotation power pitcher the Cubs had needed.

New role for Cabrera?

The recent developments, however, now have the team considering another role for their struggling righty when he’s ready to return. The bullpen may be where Cabrera ends up, at least for the rest of this season.

“Frankly, one thing we’re going to talk about is: Is it happening the longer your outings are? And is that causing this? That may be something we consider for the rest of the year,” Counsell said.

“That’s the working plan right now. We’re hoping we can have the blister behind us. He’s dealt with this and pitched with this (before). One of the things we’re thinking is it doesn’t necessarily pop up in bullpens when the volume is lower, so maybe we can make some progress there, and that can be a fix at least for the last six weeks here.”

Cabrera, meanwhile, is saying all the right things—although he’s also said all the right things before.

“A hundred percent I would go to the bullpen,” Cabrera told reporters via an interpreter. “The important thing is to be here, and to be able to help the team.”

For now, the whole Cabrera experience has been a fail. But there’s no time to worry about that now. The Cubs have playoffs to worry about.

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Pete Crow-Armstrong kicked off the Cubs’ series against the White Sox in spectacular fashion. The 24-year-old MVP candidate crushed the first pitch he saw for a leadoff home run before later delivering a walk-off blast in extra innings to send Cubs fans home happy with a 7-5 victory in the opener of the three-game crosstown series.

Crow-Armstrong’s historic performance left plenty to unpack beyond the final score. His two-home-run effort not only provided the Cubs fans with a memorable walk-off victory, but also added several impressive milestones to his breakout season. From the history he made to the numbers that put his performance into perspective, there are several noteworthy takeaways from his electric night. Here are five of the most fascinating facts and stats from Crow-Armstrong’s performance.

Five facts to know following Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong’s historic night against the White Sox

1) Historic statline

According to OptaSTATS, Crow-Armstrong’s 4-5 performance with one double, two home runs, one walk, and a stolen base is a first. They indicated that no other player in MLB history has reached base time five times, collected four hits in which three of them went for extra bases, stolen a base, and hit a leadoff home run and walk-off home run all in the same game.

2) First career walk-off home run

Over the last three years, Crow-Armstrong has hit a remarkable 71 home runs. That said, his walk-off blast in the 10th inning against the White Sox was his first career walk-off home run, making it a rather memorable one.

3 +4) First leadoff home run and walk-off home run in the same game since…

The last time a MLB player hit a leadoff home run and walk-off home run in the same game was 2010. Back then, Chris Young did it for the Arizona Diamondbacks on August 7. Furthermore, it has been since May 7, 1957 that a MLB player has hit the first pitch of the game for a lead-off home run while also ending the game with a walk-off home run. Back then, Vic Powers did so for the Kansas City A’s.

5) 30/30 club

In this contest, Crow-Armstrong once again joined the 30 home run and 30 stolen base club. According to Meghan Montemurro, he is just the third player in MLB history with multiple 30/30 seasons at age 24 or younger and just the second to do it in back-to-back seasons. Bobby Witt Jr last accomplished this in 2023-2024.

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For years, the Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox rivalry has often felt more like a local tradition than a genuine battle for the postseason. That has changed in 2026.

The two Chicago teams entered their latest Crosstown Classic series with legitimate reasons to believe they could make the playoffs.

The Cubs came into the series at 72-53, while the White Sox sat at 65-58 and held first place in the AL Central.

That alone makes this year’s rivalry worth watching. The teams are not simply playing for bragging rights across the city. Both have something substantial to protect.

For Chicago sports fans, that changes the feeling around every game. A rivalry becomes more interesting when both sides have a season to save or a postseason position to defend.

The White Sox Have Changed the Conversation

The biggest surprise in this year’s Crosstown Classic is probably the White Sox.

Coming off a 102-loss season in 2025, Chicago’s South Side team was not expected to be leading the AL Central deep into the 2026 campaign.

Yet the White Sox have remained near the top of the division for much of the year and entered the Crosstown series after sweeping the Detroit Tigers.

The team’s overall improvement has not come from a single player.

The club added veteran pitcher Luis Castillo at the trade deadline, while younger players have helped give the lineup more life. Chase Meidroth, for example, entered the series as one of the team’s hottest hitters.

The Cubs remain the more established contender, but the White Sox are no longer simply waiting for their next rebuild to take shape. They have spent much of the season showing that they can compete now.

For fans who have followed Chicago baseball through the rougher years, that kind of turnaround can be more exciting than a flashy offseason signing. It is the sort of development that makes people check the standings every morning.

Why the Cubs Still Have the Edge

The Cubs have plenty of good reasons to feel confident, too.

Their 72-53 record gives them a significant advantage over the White Sox in the overall standings, and they have historically had the better results in recent Crosstown meetings.

The Cubs entered this series having won 11 of their previous 13 games against the Sox and six straight at Wrigley Field.

Chicago’s North Side club entered the latest matchup after losing three of its previous four games and dealing with an injury to shortstop Dansby Swanson.

Meanwhile, the White Sox were coming off their sweep of Detroit and carrying considerably more momentum.

Baseball can turn quickly. A pitching matchup, one defensive mistake, or one big swing can change an entire series. The Cubs have the stronger overall season, but the White Sox arrived with momentum and a division lead.

It is almost like watching a GPerya game where the result can turn on one quick moment, except here the stakes spread throughout an entire baseball season.

What Makes This Rivalry Different?

Chicago has no shortage of sports rivalries, but the Cubs and White Sox have something the city’s other major teams cannot quite replicate: they share the same sport and the same city while playing in different leagues.

The Cubs represent the National League and play at Wrigley Field on the North Side. The White Sox play in the American League on the South Side.

Fans do not just argue over which team is better. They often identify and resonate with a part of the city that they belong to.

The stakes become even more interesting when both clubs are competitive simultaneously. According to Bleed Cubbie Blue, the two teams have reached the postseason in the same year only three times: 1906, 2008, and the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

A fourth occurrence in 2026 is therefore possible. The teams play in different leagues, and the postseason paths remain complicated.

But simply having both sides seriously involved in the playoff race creates a different kind of energy around Chicago baseball.

Why Chicago Baseball Is Worth Watching Right Now

The most interesting part of the 2026 baseball season may be that Chicago’s two teams are giving fans different reasons to pay attention.

The Cubs entered the Crosstown Classic as the stronger overall club, with a record that puts them firmly in contention. The White Sox, meanwhile, have turned what looked like another rebuilding season into a legitimate playoff chase.

You do not need to memorize every advanced statistic to understand what is happening. The Cubs are trying to maintain their position among the National League contenders. The White Sox are trying to prove that their dramatic improvement is real.

There is also something refreshing about watching a rivalry regain its competitive edge.

Chicago sports fans are used to passionate debates about the Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks, Cubs, and White Sox.

But baseball has a particularly long season, which means these teams have plenty of time to establish identities before October arrives.

Whether both clubs ultimately reach the postseason remains uncertain. What is already clear is that the 2026 Crosstown Classic carries more weight than it has in several recent seasons.

And for a city that loves arguing about sports, having both sides believe they have a case makes the conversation much more fun.

The post Why the 2026 Crosstown Classic Feels Different for Chicago Sports Fans appeared first on ChiCitySports.

One would be hard-pressed to find a team that has dealt with more significant injuries to key players than the Chicago Cubs. Of course, injuries are part of the game. Every year, each MLB team sees an important player miss time for some kind of ailment, whether it be serious or otherwise.

Unfortunately, the Cubs have had to deal with an unusually high number of injuries to their starting rotation and bullpen. Some of their starters have been lost for the season. Others have had to do multiple stints on the injured list.

What is more, closer Daniel Palencia has been struggling to stay healthy as well.

The Chicago Cubs transfer Daniel Palencia to the 60-day IL

Back in mid-April, Palencia suffered an oblique strain that forced him to miss three weeks of the early season. When he came back, he was as effective as ever, but the injury bug did not leave him alone. On June 16, Palencia was placed on the injured list with a right flexor strain. He has been sidelined ever since.

On Monday, with more injuries reported by the club, Chicago made the decision to transfer their closer from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day injured list:

Another #Cubs transaction: Daniel Palencia is transferred to the 60-day IL to make room for Owen Miller.

— Taylor McGregor (@Taylor_McGregor) August 17, 2026

As seen in the post above, this decision allowed them to make a spot on the 40-man roster for infielder Owen Miller. It does not mean that Palencia’s injury has gotten worse or that he will be out any longer. Rather, it was a move made simply to create a roster spot for someone else. What is more, it is likely that Miller will be designated for assignment before too long. The Cubs just need bodies right now as they prepare to take on the Chicago White Sox.

In 19 appearances this season, Palencia is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA and three saves.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Daniel Palencia cooked in latest rehab outing, nears return to Cubs
• Cubs have the infield depth to survive the Dansby Swanson injury
• Patience for Edward Cabrera is running thin, Craig Counsell discusses pitcher’s future

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago  sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

The post Chicago Cubs move Daniel Palencia to 60-day IL amid flurry of roster moves appeared first on ChiCitySports.

As has been the story all season long, the Chicago Cubs are dealing with yet another injury on their pitching staff. While they are 72-53 and well-entrenched in the postseason picture, there are serious concerns about the quality and depth of their starting rotation.

This past off-season, the Cubs traded away Owen Caissie and other prospects for starter Edward Cabrera. Even though Chicago knew he had a long injury history, they hoped that 2026 would be different.

It has not been. If anything, it has been worse.

The Chicago Cubs have placed Edward Cabrera on the 15-day injured list

Last season, Cabrera had the best year of his career, starting 26 games while going 8-7 with a 3.53 ERA. Obviously, this is the kind of production that the Cubs were hoping for when they traded for him.

In 15 games this season, however, Cabrera is 5-5 with 5.68 ERA. Even more disappointing than his lack of quality pitching has been his inability to stay healthy.

In May, he was placed on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger. Back then, the hope was that letting the blister heal would improve his pitching performances.

It didn’t.

In June, Cabrera suffered a hamstring/adductor strain while falling when trying to cover first base. The injury cost him two months.

And now, in mid-August, he is headed back to the injured list with yet another blister:

As expected, the Cubs placed Edward Cabrera on the injured list with a blister issue and recalled Javier Assad ahead of their crosstown series vs. the White Sox at Wrigley Field.

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) August 17, 2026

As can be seen from the post above, Javier Assad has been recalled to take Cabrera’s spot on the roster. He is 6-1 with a 3.59 ERA in 21 games (10 starts) for Chicago this year.

When Cabrera comes back from this stint on the injured list, it is highly probable that manager Craig Counsell will opt to bring him out of the bullpen instead of keeping him in the starting rotation.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

• Daniel Palencia cooked in latest rehab outing, nears return to Cubs
• Cubs have the infield depth to survive the Dansby Swanson injury
• Patience for Edward Cabrera is running thin, Craig Counsell discusses pitcher’s future

For More Chicago Sports

Follow me on Twitter at @theotherRobin19, and follow us @ChiCitySports23. You can also reach out to Robin Adams via email at robadams14@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest in ALL of Chicago  sports, click here! Chicago Bears, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Blackhawks

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The Chicago Cubs did not end the weekend on a high note. After winning the first game of their series against the St. Louis Cardinals, they dropped the final two. The weekend began with such promise, with Chicago just three games out of first place in the National League Central Division. Because of their two consecutive losses, though, the Cubs are now five games out of first.

This all being said, Chicago is still 72-53 on the season. This is good enough for the top Wild Card spot in the National League, and is actually the fourth-best record in the NL.

The Chicago Cubs are fifth in MLB’s latest power rankings

Despite losing two games in a row to end the weekend, Chicago still has a comfortable lead in the Wild Card and sits just five games out of first place in the NL Central.

Monday’s edition of MLB’s power rankings certainly did not give fans any reason for worry, slotting the Cubs in at fifth:

“The Cubs had to be the supporting characters in the Joshua Báez show on Saturday, and they ended up losing on Sunday as well. But there’s no reason to be too concerned: It was the first time the Cubs had lost two games in a row since July 9-10.”

Saturday and Sunday were incredibly frustrating for Chicago, but they have the opportunity to bounce back in a big way with a three-game series against their cross-town rivals, the Chicago White Sox. This will be the first time the two teams face each other since their dramatic series at Wrigley Field earlier this year.

Unfortunately, that series is what started the Cubs’ 10-game losing streak. Hopefully they can avoid that again.

More Chicago Cubs news from ChiCity Sports

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For More Chicago Sports

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