Blisters might not seem like much from the outside, and to be clear those have a much better prognosis than, say, forearm or tricep soreness. That said, Edward Cabrera’s latest injury is a frustrating reminder that even something as small as a blister can have a big impact on a rotation held together with tape and prayers. One pitch into the fourth inning on Wednesday night at Wrigley Field, Edward Cabrera’s start was over, and more questions about the Cubs depleted pitching ranks are sure to follow.
A blister. On his right middle finger. Again.
Cabrera has a documented history of blister issues, including a spring training blister in 2025 that cost him the first two turns through the Marlins rotation last season. The Cubs knew this was part of the package when they traded for Cabrera in January.
Blisters are relatively minor issues. They’re not rotator cuffs. They’re not UCLs. They usually don’t require surgery or six-to-18 month timelines. However, for a pitcher, the blister is the exact point of contact between a finger and a baseball. It’s in a location that determines any number of things like spin rate, grip, and command. A blister on a pitcher’s middle finger, especially a pitcher like Cabrera, fundamentally alters the ability to execute pitches.
Manager Craig Counsell indicated it was an issue Cabrera has dealt with before:
“It’s something that he’s dealt with a little bit,” Counsell said. “It just got worse tonight — to the point where it was clearly affecting his command, as much as anything. We tried to do something after the third inning and it just didn’t work. You could tell. The first pitch could have told you he wasn’t going to be able to continue.”
Wednesday’s start against the Brewers was not Cabrera’s finest outing this season. He threw 3.0 innings giving up four runs (only one earned) on four hits while walking and striking out two batters. It’s possible something was off even before Cabrera left the game. He was talking with pitching coach Tommy Hottovy and the training staff in the bottom of the third, retreating to the dugout and then heading back out, which confirms that the Cubs were working on the issue before Cabrera left the game.
The glass half full read here is that Cabrera sounds confident about making his next start. Blisters can heal faster than structural injuries, and Cabrera has navigated this before.
However, the glass-half-empty read is that nothing feels good about the state of the Cubs rotation right now. Cade Horton is gone for the season following elbow surgery. Justin Steele suffered setback in his return from elbow surgery. Matthew Boyd is working his way back from knee surgery. Colin Rea and Ben Brown are already in the rotation, and if Cabrera were to miss any meaningful time the Cubs would need to look to Javier Assad or perhaps Doug Nikhazy, who the Cubs claimed off waivers from the White Sox in April, to make starts in the interim.
Blisters aren’t elbows. But on a rotation this depleted, even a minor detour feels like a five-alarm fire. The Cubs need Cabrera to be healthy and make as many starts as possible this season. That probably means taking the time to ensure this blister issue is dealt with in a way that won’t return later in the season.
They also need the baseball gods to stop testing them, just for a little while.
