Cubs’ Edward Cabrera shows progress in rehab from left-leg strain as All-Star break nears

The Cubs’ starting rotation depth is getting a hopeful update from its rehab group. Left-hander Edward Cabrera, sidelined last month with a left leg injury, has continued to make progress in his return process, including an increase in throwing intensity and some agility work as the All-Star break approaches.

According to the Cubs’ report from, Cabrera tested the left hamstring and adductor he strained June 23 against the Mets during work at Wrigley Field this past Sunday. The team described the outing as part of raising the intensity level in his throwing program, which has been a key checkpoint in determining how close he is to progressing to live baseball activities.

The Cubs’ immediate goal, as outlined by manager Craig Counsell, is to see Cabrera able to test his leg with a bullpen session before the intermission. From there, the next stages would be the standard ramp up from bullpens to live batting practice, with the plan then leaning toward a Minor League rehab assignment to build workload as he works toward game readiness.

Cabrera’s update also arrived alongside encouragement elsewhere in the injured pitching group. ’s team update noted that right-hander Jameson Taillon made a rehab start on Sunday, a development that the Cubs view as relevant to their broader pitching health and rotation planning. Chicago also reported a 6-4 win over the Cardinals that day, adding a useful context point that the organization was simultaneously working through recovery steps while still competing in its immediate stretch.

Taillon’s rehab assignment, described in the same update, involved a pitch count and time frame that the Cubs will use to decide what makes sense next. He logged 45 pitches in 3 1/3 innings in a rehab outing with High-A South Bend, and the club said it will discuss whether to reintroduce him into the rotation mix with an abbreviated start before the All-Star break or to delay his return until after the season’s intermission.

Counsell’s comments, as reported by, framed the early progress as meaningful because it affects how quickly the Cubs can get healthy arms back into meaningful innings. The manager pointed to the value of “just getting healthy guys,” and described Cabrera’s work on Sunday as an important step that provided “some good signs on that front.”

For Cubs fans, the next question is what Cabrera’s leg responds to when the organization moves from outdoor throwing and agility to bullpen work and, eventually, hitters. The club’s approach suggests the team is trying to preserve both competitiveness and caution, using each stage to confirm whether the hamstring-adductor strain is truly settling before increasing stress through game-speed action.

The timeline is still conditional. Even with progress, Cabrera and Taillon remain in a controlled sequence designed to prevent setbacks, and the Cubs’ decisions around return dates will depend on how the leg responds to the next phase of work. If the next checkpoints go smoothly, Chicago’s All-Star break calculus could shift from waiting to planning, with more certainty about when additional starters return to full role expectations.