Cubs Activate Edward Cabrera, Place Trent Thornton On 15-Day IL

The Cubs have activated right-hander Edward Cabrera from the 15-day injured list, and placed Trent Thornton on the 15-day IL due to left ankle soreness. (MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian was the first to report the news.) Cabrera will essentially be taking Thornton’s place in the bullpen, as the Cubs plan to use Cabrera as a reliever for the rest of the season and postseason. Over 15 starts and 76 innings, Cabrera has struggled to a 5.68 ERA in his first season in Wrigleyville. Opposing batters have taken Cabrera deep 15 times, and his 20.4% strikeout rate is the lowest of his six MLB seasons. Health concerns have surely impacted his performance to some extent, as Cabrera has had three IL stints — he missed almost eight weeks due to a left hamstring strain, and his other two absences were due to a blister on the middle finger of his throwing hand. Just a day after returning from that hamstring-related IL trip, another blister sent Cabrera to the sidelines for this latest hiatus, so he has pitched in just one big league game since June 23. The move to the bullpen reduced Cabrera’s need to fully rebuild his arm strength, and gets him back a bit earlier to help out a Cubs team in dire need of pitching help. Injuries have plagued Chicago’s pitching staff all year, and the grind has started to take its toll in recent weeks. Since August 12, the Cubs’ 4.78 team ERA ranks 23rd of 30 teams, though the pen’s 4.23 mark in that span is superior to the rotation’s 5.16 ERA. Though the Cubs continue to excel offensively and defensively, the lack of pitching help has now put the team’s postseason plans into some question, as Chicago is only three games ahead of Arizona (the first team under the NL’s wild card playoff line). What Cabrera can bring to the table is an open question, as he has started all but two of his 104 career big league games. The move to the bullpen should add some velo to his already impressive 96.9mph fastball, and since hitters have been torching Cabrera after his first time through the lineup this year, the righty’s results could improve if he is facing rival batters just once. The Cubs probably hope Cabrera can be a multi-inning reliever, though it’s probably a wait-and-see situation in regards to usage until the team actually sees how Cabrera performs in this relief capacity. Chicago’s injury woes made an unlikely hero of Thornton, who is fourth on the team with 48 appearances. Thornton joined the Cubs on a minor league deal during the offseason and didn’t join the active roster until the first week of May, as he was in the final stages of rehabbing a torn Achilles suffered in August 2025. Thornton’s 4.58 SIERA far outpaces his 3.35 ERA, as a .241 BABIP and a host of underwhelming peripherals indicate that the veteran has received a lot of good luck this year. Still, the Cubs have happily benefited from that luck in a season otherwise beset by pitching misfortune, with Thornton tossing 48 1/3 bullpen innings. Since Thornton just pitched on Friday, his 15-day IL stint will sideline the right-hander until the very last day of the regular season. It’s probably safe to assume that he’ll be out until at least the start of the playoffs, unless he is healthy enough for the Cubs to activate him for a tune-up in their regular-season finale on September 27.