Steve Drumwright

The experiment of using left-hander Jordan Wicks in the starting rotation did not go well to say the least. Thus, Wicks is headed back to the minors. The Chicago Cubs on Tuesday optioned Wicks back to Triple-A Iowa and called up right-hander Tyler Ferguson from Iowa. Wicks lasted just 6⅓ innings in his two starts since being called up, allowing 11 runs on 13 hits with one walk and six strikeouts. That resulted in a 15.63 ERA. Ferguson was acquired from the A's on May 7 after being designated for assignment. He made just one appearance for the A's this year, giving up four runs in 1⅓ innings in a 9-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on May 5. At Triple-A Iowa this year, he pitched in six games covering 7⅔ innings, walking five and striking out five for a 3.52 ERA. He has appeared in 105 games with the A's over the last three seasons with a 4.47 ERA with a 12.6 walk rate and 25.4 strikeout rate. View full rumor

The Chicago Cubs have suffered yet another blow to their starting rotation. The Cubs on Sunday placed right-handed starter Edward Cabrera on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right middle finger. Left-hander Jordan Wicks was called up from Triple-A Iowa. The fortunate news is this is just a blister, meaning Cabrera is likely to miss just the minimum 15 days. The move was backdated to Thursday, so Cabrera could return next Sunday. Cabrera was the Cubs' big offseason rotation addition, acquired in a trade with the Miami Marlins. The Cubs' rotation is already extremely banged up with Cade Horton out for the season, Matthew Boyd recently having minor knee surgery and Justin Steele still not back after having a setback in his return from UCL revision repair surgery. Wicks will be making his season debut with the Cubs. He has made seven appearances, all starts, at Triple-A, with a 4.44 ERA in 26⅓ innings, walking 12 and striking out 20. He appeared in eight games with the Cubs last year, all in relief, with a 6.28 ERA in 14⅓ innings, walking one and striking out 13. The Cubs will need another starter at some point this week as they have a four-game series vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates, then three against the St. Louis Cardinals, all on the road. View full rumor

Needing a jolt of energy following a three-game sweep by the Milwaukee Brewers, an injury situation will bring a newcomer to the Chicago Cubs' roster. Infielder Pedro Ramirez, North Side Baseball's No. 3 prospect, was called up by the Cubs from Triple-A Iowa to make his MLB debut as right fielder Matt Shaw went on the 10-day injured list with back tightness. Shaw has been dealing with the back issue all week and the Cubs decided Friday to put him on the IL. Shaw has a .242/.291/.400 slash line with three homers and 12 RBIs in 42 games. Ramirez has made a steady climb up the minor-league ladder, spending each of the last three seasons at Low-A (2023), High-A (2024) and Double-A (2025), then beginning this year at Triple-A. At Iowa, Ramirez has a slash line of .312/.395/.547 with nine homers, 40 RBIs and 19 stolen bases. Manager Craig Counsell said Friday that Ramirez won't be thrown into the starting lineup, instead the Cubs will take this opportunity to expose him to the MLB clubhouse and get his bearings. “It’s not going to be a big playing role,” Counsell said. “If it’s not going to be a playing role, it’s probably going to be a shorter stint. But I think it’s also good for him to get exposure to the Major Leagues, get exposure to the group, get exposure to the schedule, so that if we run into a situation where it is a lot of playing time, he doesn’t have to go through it for the first time while playing.” View full rumor

The Chicago Cubs are getting an important piece of their bullpen back. Left-handed reliever Caleb Thielbar was activated from the 15-day injured list Tuesday by the Cubs. Left-handed reliever Ty Blach was designated for assignment after making his team debut Monday. Thielbar has been on the injured list since April 24 with a strained left hamstring. He made one rehab appearance with High-A South Bend over the weekend, pitching one scoreless inning with a hit, a walk and two strikeouts. With the Cubs, Thielbar has made 11 appearances covering 8⅔ innings, walking five and striking out 11. Blach pitched three scoreless innings in Monday's 9-3 blowout loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, allowing one hit and no walks with two strikeouts. View full rumor

Image courtesy of Benny Sieu-Imagn Images It took long enough, but the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs are finally playing their first series of the 2026 season. While the Cubs have put the loyal followers at North Side Baseball in a euphoric stage with a pair of 10-game winning streaks, there is also the knowledge that work has only produced a 1½-game lead in the NL Central. As you might know, objects in the rearview mirror may be closer than they appear. In this case, the Brewers (and somehow the St. Louis Cardinals) are tied for second as the entire NL Central is above .500 entering the three-game series vs. the Cubs at Wrigley Field that runs Monday-Wednesday. The whole division is separated by five games. Being in first place has been good for the Cubs after the Brewers won a feisty five-game NL Division Series in October, the teams' first meeting in postseason history. Meanwhile, the Brewers have just been doing Brewers things to this point in the season, as they have done en route to three consecutive NL Central championships. Pitching pretty well and getting timely hits. Both teams have dealt with their share of injuries, although the Cubs have gotten the shorter end of that stick. So what do Cubs fans need to know about the Brewers entering this series? Let's take a look. Jacob Misiorowski Headlines Excellent Pitching Staff Despite trading away ace right-hander Freddy Peralta in February, the Brewers have one of the best pitching staffs in all of MLB. The Brewers have a team ERA of 3.29, which ranks third in MLB, a year after finishing second at 3.58. That begins with the emergence of flamethrowing right-hander Jacob Misiorowski as ace material. The Miz has a 2.12 ERA (2.28 FIP) in nine starts and leads MLB with 80 strikeouts. That translates into a remarkable 39.6% strikeout rate (22.2% is the MLB average), while cutting down his walk rate from 11.4% as a rookie to 8.4% in his second year (8.6% is the average). But it isn't Misiorowski alone. Left-hander Kyle Harrison, acquired when the Brewers traded third baseman Caleb Durbin to the Boston Red Sox in a six-player deal just as players were reporting to spring training, has a slightly better ERA at 2.09 (2.86 FIP), a remarkable improvement from his brief time with the Red Sox and the beginning of his career with the San Francisco Giants. Between the two, Harrison posted a 4.39 ERA (4.43 FIP) in 42 games, all but five starts. Milwaukee Brewers (@brewers) • Instagram photo WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM 9,784 likes, 53 comments - brewers on May 14, 2026: "All of these guys are 25 and under btw". The Brewers' rotation is doing this, at the moment, without veteran right-hander Brandon Woodruff, who went on the 15-day injured list May 1 with what was deemed inflammation in his right shoulder. He had a procedure to aspirate a cyst and remove fluid, then had a bullpen session Thursday as he hopes for a quick return. Currently, the oldest of the Brewers' five rotation members is 26-year-old Robert Gasser, who made his season debut Sunday. The backbone of the team is the bullpen. The back end has been a bit unsettled with right-hander Trevor Megill, the closer who had 30 saves a year ago, had some rocky outings early and has been in a setup or middle-relief role since. Right-hander Abner Uribe has taken over closer duties, notching four in six chances, but even he hasn't been a lockdown reliever, having yielded nine runs in 17⅓ innings. Left-hander Aaron Ashby has been the most valuable member of the bullpen. He leads MLB in wins with eight, making 21 appearances and throwing 29 innings for a 2.17 ERA (2.06 FIP). Another left-hander, Shane Drohan, is starting to get a more prominent role. He was another player the Crew acquired in the Durbin trade. Drohan made his MLB debut with a start this season and has flourished in relief, sporting a 3.24 ERA (2.39 FIP). Lacking Power, Speed Is The Focus Of Brewers' Offense The Brewers rank dead last in MLB with 30 homers, yet they are eighth in runs scored. How? Milwaukee draws a lot of walks (fourth-most), but also is pretty aggressive with its team speed, often using bunts to put pressure on the defense and then taking an extra base whenever possible. This has been an early-season identity carved out of necessity due to injuries to three of their power bats in outfielder Jackson Chourio, designated hitter Christian Yelich and first baseman Andrew Vaughn. Chourio went on the injured list Opening Day and Vaughn a day later. Both returned two weeks ago and have hit the ground running, adding a right-handed presence in the lineup even if they have a combined two homers after Chourio went deep Saturday. Yelich returned from the IL Monday following a strained left adductor, but then sat out the final two games of a series vs. the San Diego Padres and the first two against the Minnesota Twins with a back issue, something that has plagued him during his Milwaukee tenure. He was back in the lineup Sunday and hit second homer of the season. But the speed is real. David Hamilton, who starts at third base or shortstop, is second on the team in stolen bases with eight and is the primary bunt threat, something that works well at the bottom of the order as the big bats come up. Former Platinum Glove-winning second baseman Brice Turang leads with nine steals and has continued the momentum he built last year with six homers thus far. A healthy Garrett Mitchell patrols center field and has six steals, but his offensive contributions are more inconsistent despite being a true power-speed threat. There are black holes in the Brewers' offense. Shortstop Joey Ortiz and infielders Luis Rengifo and David Hamilton, who split time at third, are batting .198, .203, .225, respectively. Yet the Brewers have the 11th-best team batting average and the third-best on-base percentage. Who Are The Brewers' Scheduled Starting Pitchers? The Brewers' rotation sets up very well for the series against the Cubs as right-hander Brandon Sproat, Misiorowski and Harrison will start. All three will be coming off an extra day of rest with the Brewers getting a pair of spot starts over the weekend against the Twins. Sproat is one of the two players the Brewers got from the New York Mets in the Freddy Peralta trade. Infielder-outfielder Jett Williams, Brewer Fanatic's No. 4 prospect, is the other and currently at Triple-A Nashville. Sproat has bounced back from a pair of subpar outings with two decent ones. Following four shutout innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on May 6, he went 5⅓ innings in Tuesday's series opener vs. the San Diego Padres. Walks have been a little bit of an issue for Sproat, with a 13% walk rate, much worse than the MLB average of 8.6%, while his 23.4% strikeout rate is about one point better than the MLB average (22.2%). The issue for Sproat thus far has been trying to harness the excellent movement he has on his pitches. Misiorowski, meanwhile, is coming off two of his finer starts of his not even one-year-old career. One of the things that made baseball fans latch onto Miz as he made a splashy MLB debut was the emotion he carried. He still does that, but he doesn't let the emotion overtake him. That was very evident in his May 8 start vs. the New York Yankees. He limited a potent Yankees lineup to two hits over six innings, walking a pair and matching his season high with 11 strikeouts. He threw 29 pitches that lit up the radar gun at 101 mph or more, which was the second-most since the pitch-tracking era began in 2008. Misiorowski was pumped to face the Yankees as his first-inning velocity revealed. He had the four fastest pitches in the pitch-tracking era and seven pitches that registered at 103 mph, peaking at 103.6, and the two fastest strikeouts. This chart is from just the first two innings against the Yankees. Then, Wednesday against the San Diego Padres, he wasn't quite as amped up, but turned in another spectacular performance. Misiorowski struck out 10 over seven innings and gave up four hits, but did not walk a batter for just the second time in his career, both coming this year. This time, he had 30 pitches at 101 mph or better, one better than his previous outing and giving him three of the top five spots. That is showing some of the maturity that may have been lacking in the second half last year that resulted in him going to the bullpen at the end of the regular season and for the postseason. Harrison has been very steady in all eight of his starts with the Brewers. He hasn't allowed more than two runs in any start, with strikeout totals at five or above in six starts, with a high of 12 April 26 vs. the Pittsburgh Pirates. Walks were an issue in his start May 9 vs. the Yankees, issuing four. In his last start, Thursday vs. the Padres, Harrison struck out seven over five shutout innings, buoyed by a pair of three-run innings by the Brewers' offense to begin the game. View full article

The quest for Ty Blach to return to the majors is complete. The left-hander was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Sunday. Right-hander Javier Assad was optioned to Triple-A and reliever Hunter Harvey was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL to make room for Blach on the 40-man roster. Blach has not pitched in the majors since the 2024 season, the last of his three years with the Colorado Rockies. At Triple-A this year, Blach made five appearances, including three starts. In 20⅔ innings, he walked seven and struck out 14 for a 5.23 ERA. He signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs this offseason. In 2025, Blach pitched in the Texas Rangers' organization, making 11 starts at Triple-A and posting a 3.88 ERA, walking 13 and striking out 40 in 51 innings. Assad has struggled this season. After making three starts that included giving up nine runs in one game, he was moved to the bullpen. His five relief appearances have mainly been good, although he did give up six runs in 2⅓ innings in one game. View full rumor

In need of a bit of good news on the pitching front, Ethan Roberts is back in the Chicago Cubs' bullpen. The Cubs activated the right-handed reliever off the 15-day injured list Friday. To make room, right-handed reliever Gavin Hollowell was sent back to Triple-A Iowa. Roberts has been out since going on the IL April 15 with a laceration on his middle finger on his right hand. The laceration occurred just a few days after his second call-up of the season. Between those two stints, Roberts has appeared in three games covering 2⅔ innings, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks with two strikeouts. He has made a total of eight relief appearances at Triple-A, posting a 1.93 ERA with five walks and nine strikeouts in 9⅓ innings. Hollowell was just called up Thursday to patch the bullpen if needed. He did not pitch in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds. Hollowell did pitch in two games previously this season, allowing two runs in 1⅔ innings. View full rumor

The Chicago Cubs could be ready to take advantage of the New York Mets' miserable start to the season. According to a report, the Cubs are interested in acquiring ace right-hander Freddy Peralta from the Mets. Peralta, a free agent after the season, has already been traded once this year, going from the Milwaukee Brewers to the Mets in a four-player trade in which New York gave up a pair of top-five prospects in infielder-outfielder Jett Williams and right-handed starter Brandon Sproat. This time, Peralta's price would be lower as the acquiring team would not be able to get draft-pick compensation through the qualifying offer. A qualifying offer can only be extended to a player who is with a team for the full season. The report mentioned that the Mets are holding on to Peralta until at least June 1, at which time the team will reevaluate its position on Peralta and other tradeable assets. The Cubs are in the market for at least one starting pitcher as they currently have three of their projected four Opening Day starters on the injured list, including Cade Horton being out for the season. Peralta has ties to both teams from his Brewers days. Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns led Milwaukee's front office while Peralta was on the roster and Cubs manager Craig Counsell was Peralta's manager in Milwaukee. Peralta will be one of the top free agents available this offseason. View full rumor

The Chicago Cubs made a minor move involving their bullpen Thursday, calling up right-handed reliever Gavin Hollowell from Triple-A Iowa. To make room on the 26-man roster, right-handed reliever Corbin Martin was designated for assignment. Hollowell will be making his first appearance with the Cubs after beginning the season at Iowa. He has made 40 MLB appearances with the Cubs and Colorado Rockies over the last four years, including seven with Chicago in 2025. He has a career 5.79 ERA with a 12.3% walk and 21.7% strikeout rate. This year at Iowa, Hollowell appeared in six games, allowing two runs on four hits with six walks and 15 strikeouts in eight innings for a 2.25 ERA. Martin made seven appearances with the Cubs since coming up April 18. He had a 10.80 over five innings, giving up six runs on five hits (two homers) with five walks and four strikeouts. View full rumor

Just when you thought things might have been turning around for the Chicago Cubs' injury situation, it took a dramatic turn for the worse. Left-hander Matthew Boyd, the Opening Day starter, was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Cubs on Wednesday after injuring his left knee at home. Right-handed reliever Trent Thornton was called up from Triple-A Iowa. Left-handed reliever Charlie Barnes was designated for assignment to make room for Thornton on the 40-man roster. Boyd is slated to have surgery to repair his meniscus. There is not a timetable for his return. Boyd had just returned April 22 from left biceps tendinitis. The rotation is also down two other notable starters in right-hander Cade Horton, who is out for the season after having elbow and flexor tendon surgery, and left-hander Justin Steele recently had a setback in his recovery from UCL revision surgery. Boyd makes it 10 Cubs pitchers who are currently on the IL. Still, the Cubs entered the day atop the NL Central at 24-12 and a seven-game winning streak. Thornton signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs in the offseason and made four appearances at Iowa, including one start. In 5⅔ innings, he had allowed two runs on five hits with three walks and five strikeouts. View full rumor

The Chicago Cubs have their closer back. Right-hander Daniel Palencia was activated from the 15-day injured list Sunday, with right-handed reliever Yacksel Rios being designated for assignment. Palencia had been out since April 17 with a strained left lat. The Cubs' pitching staff has been decimated by injuries, but the team has still put together the best record in the NL Central at this early stage of the season at 21-12 entering Sunday's action. The Cubs still have nine pitchers on the injured list. Palencia's return fortifies the bullpen. He had yet to allow a run in five appearances when he went down, walking two and striking out five in five innings. Rios was called up a week ago Sunday and made just one appearance, going 1⅔ scoreless innings that day against the Los Angeles Dodgers, striking out two. View full rumor

After a rough medical start to the season, the Chicago Cubs are starting to get some of their arms back. The latest is right-handed reliever Phil Maton, who was activated Monday off the 15-day injured list. Left-handed reliever Charlie Barnes, who was called up Sunday, was sent back to Triple-A Iowa. Maton is a welcome veteran addition to the Cubs' bullpen. He has been on the IL since April 10 with tendinitis in his right knee and threw one scoreless inning Friday for Iowa. He was not off to a great start after signing as a free agent in November. In four innings over five appearances before going on the IL, Maton had a 13.50 ERA, allowing six runs on six hits, including a homer, with four walks and five strikeouts and two hit batters. Maton made his MLB debut in 2017 and has a 4.06 ERA. He started 2025 with the St. Louis Cardinals, then was dealt to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline. He had a combined 2.79 ERA in 63 games and 61⅓ innings. Barnes did not pitch Sunday and has one three-inning appearance in his two call-ups this season. View full rumor