Cabrera lands on injured list with hamstring strain

There is no timetable yet for Cabrera to return after undergoing an MRI that revealed a rather significant hamstring strain. The 28-year-old starter hit the injured list earlier on Wednesday after suffering the injury during Tuesday night’s start against the Mets. His extended absence is another hit to Chicago’s perilously-thin rotation depth. It sounds like fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back until some point in August.

Cabrera was on crutches in the clubhouse and will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of a hamstring strain that he suffered while stretching to make a play at first base during Tuesday’s start against the Mets. He was carted off the field afterwards and is likely facing a multi-week absence, which puts additional strain on Chicago’s starting pitching depth.

This didn’t look good at all. Cabrera was carted off the field after suffering a serious-looking left leg injury while covering first base to end the fifth inning. He was charged with two runs over five innings. The 28-year-old’s absence is another hit to Chicago’s rotation depth, which will get a lift when Matthew Boyd comes off the injured list this weekend. There should be an update on Cabrera’s status in the coming days, but he’s likely headed to the injured list.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters Edward Cabrera will get the ball for his regularly scheduled start on Tuesday with Imanaga being pushed back to Wednesday’s twin bill instead. It’ll be Javier Assad drawing the starting assignment for the other doubleheader contest at Citi Field.

Cabrera checked out fine after making an early exit from Tuesday’s start against the Rockies with a hand cramp. The 28-year-old will need to complete a bullpen session before he’s officially cleared to take the ball against the Mets on Monday in his next start.

Cabrera left the contest with one out in the fifth inning. The positive news is that it wasn’t a recurrence of the blister issue that sent him to the injured list earlier this season. The 28-year-old was charged with three runs over 4 1/3 innings. He struck out three and also issued two walks. There should be an update on his status following the contest and whether he’ll make his next start against the Mets on Monday. It sounds like a relatively minor concern.

Cabrera gave up a couple of homers in Coors, but both were solo shots. He struck out five and walked two. Cabrera’s velocity was again very good; he averaged 96.9 mph with his fastball today, just down from 97.3 mph last Friday in his return from the injured list. In 10 starts before missing time with a blister, Cabrera averaged 95.7 mph, and the only time he was over 96.0 mph previously was when he came in at 96.5 mph in his season debut. Obviously, he’ll be a better bet if the velocity sticks around, though he should be fine either way next week, as he’ll be facing the Rockies outside of Colorado.

Yikes. Cabrera’s velocity was well up from where it was all season and he managed a 31 percent whiff rate, but he allowed eight hard-hit balls, including four off his difference-making change-up. His ERA is now 4.99. Cabrera doesn’t exactly look trustworthy for the moment, and either way you probably have some pause about risking Coors Field with him next week, but nothing under the hood looks dramatically rough.

He’ll get the ball today against the Giants in Wrigley Field matinee. Cabrera had struggled before heading on IL with his blister injury, allowing three or more earned runs in each of his final four starts before his abbreviated exit from May 20’s game against the Brewers with the blister. Still, he’s talented enough to be a worthwhile roll today against the Giants.

Cabrera resumed throwing last week and will get the ball this weekend against San Francisco after missing just over two weeks with a blister issue. The 28-year-old has struggled to a pedestrian 4.00 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 47/20 K/BB ratio across 54 innings over 10 starts to kick off his Cubs debut. He’s immensely talented and is at least worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats based on his sky-high upside if everything clicks into place.