Cubs Injury Update: Justin Steele Watch, Edward Cabrera Concerns Grow, More

The Chicago Cubs' Edward Cabrera continued to allow tons of contact in his most recent rehab outing. Mar 27, 2025; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) pitches against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the first inning at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect As the Chicago Cubs enter the home stretch of the regular season, they are still hoping to bolster their shaky bullpen. Several potential options for postseason time are currently hard at work in the minors. Let's go over how each has fared in their latest rehab outings. Spoiler Alert: One familiar face is still having some major problems. Justin Steele's Steady Progress Apr 7, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Justin Steele (35) delivers against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Justin Steele's first rehab outing came on September 2. He lasted 1.2 innings, giving up four hits and an earned run with a pair of strikeouts. Overall, 26 of his 36 pitches went down as strikes. It may not have been a particularly strong first appearance, but it was acceptable considering the circumstances. Fast forward to Sunday, and Steele was on the mound again. He managed to record 2.0 innings this time around, allowing only two hits and an earned run on 27 pitches. As Carson Wolf of The Wrigley Wire noted, Steele was able to force four whiffs in this performance and seemed to find some real success with his slider. Steele's second inning of work was a 1-2-3 inning capped off with his lone strikeout in a nine-pitch at-bat. Justin Steele's second rehab outing:2.0 IP | 2 H | 1 R | 0 BB | 1 K Fastball sitting 91.1 mph, also induced 4 total whiffs on 16 swings. Finished with 27 pitches. pic.twitter.com/KOq1XjQERZ — Carson Wolf (@TheWrigleyWire) September 6, 2026 To be frank, the sample size is too low to know if Steele will be ready for a big league return in the coming weeks. If one thing is for sure, however, it's that a healthy version of Steele could prove incredibly useful out of the bullpen. The Cubs have received some shaky production from their relievers in recent weeks, and Steele could be a real part of stabilizing that group at a pivotal time. Shelby Miller's Next Step Feb 17, 2026; Mesa, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shelby Miller (77) poses for photo day at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect Shelby Miller took a very important step forward this weekend. Beginning his rehab assignment in early August, the veteran reliever appeared in his first set of back-to-back games on Friday and Saturday. The obvious good news is that this means trainers believed he was healthy enough for the workload. The bad news is ... well ... the backend didn't end well. Miller ended up allowing four hits, 4 earned runs, and a pair of walks. To make matters more frustrating, he actually struck out two of the first three batters he faced. In fact, he would have also gotten out of the inning before any damage was done, but a decision not to challenge a ball four put a second runner on. The pitch actually caught the bottom of the zone for a strike. Miller would proceed to allow an RBI single and throw a wild pitch, allowing another run to score. He was then yanked from the game, only for Tyler Santana to let a couple more of Miller's runners come home. Regardless, it's still promising that Miller is touching the high-90s and getting some big swings and misses. As long as he is able to come out of those back-to-back games feeling healthy, the Cubs should be feeling pretty good about where things stand. A call-up could even be on the horizon. Edward Cabrera's Struggles Continue Aug 16, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Edward Cabrera (30) pitches against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect The Chicago Cubs can't be feeling good about Edward Cabrera. As if the major league struggles haven't been glaring enough, he is now posting similar performances for the Iowa Cubs. In his latest rehab appearance, the former rotation member allowed three hits and 4 earned runs with two walks. Cabrera came into the game in the middle of the seventh inning. While he did immediately get a groundout, he allowed back-to-back singles, the first of which came after a full count. He would get out of the inning but come back in the eighth to let up another single before walking the next two batters. You do have to give Cabrera some grace, as the Cubs are asking him to make a pretty major adjustment midway through the season. The long-time starter has never pitched in relief during his MLB career. With that said, if the swing-and-miss stuff isn't even there at the minor league level, how can the Cubs ever feel good about using him down the stretch? Sign up for our free newsletter to stay up-to-date with all things Chicago Cubs. Add us as a preferred source on Google ELIAS SCHUSTER Follow Schuster_Elias