RADIO
Is Jaxon Wiggins Worth a Stash Amid Slow Rehab Progress?
Chicago Cubs pitching prospect Jaxon Wiggins (elbow) has been sidelined since early April with elbow inflammation, but has progressed to throwing bullpens over the last month. While it's progress, he's not ready to return to game action yet, according to president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer. There was also no return timeline provided, so it would seem a return in early July would be an optimistic view. Regardless of an exact timetable, the Cubs' third-ranked prospect should be on fantasy managers' radar with his big strikeout stuff and with the big league rotation losing multiple key pieces to the injured list. The 6-foot-6 hurler made just two starts in 2026 before the elbow flared up, but last season he struck 31.0 percent of batters faced on the way to a 2.19 ERA and 1.03 WHIP in 78 innings pitched from High-A to Triple-A. Managers should continue to monitor for any updates to his progress as the 24-year-old could quickly become a top pitcher to stash in season-long leagues.
Source: Meghan Montemurro - Chicago Tribune
Source: Meghan Montemurro - Chicago Tribune
Matthew Boyd Scheduled to Make Rehab Start on Sunday
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that starting pitcher Matthew Boyd (knee) will make a rehab start with Triple-A Iowa on Sunday, per Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. Boyd underwent surgery to repair his left meniscus in early May, but he appears to be progressing well and could be ready to return to the big leagues in early June. Boyd got off to a slow start to the 2026 season before getting injured, recording a 2-1 record with a 6.00 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, and 31 strikeouts across 24 innings (five starts). However, Boyd's 4.13 xERA and his 49.6% strand rate suggest that he was impacted by some poor luck. In deeper leagues, Boyd could be worth stashing off the waiver wire as a buy-low candidate ahead of his impending return.
Source: 670 The Score - Bruce Levine
Source: 670 The Score - Bruce Levine
Ben Brown Worth Considering Off the Waiver Wire in Two-Start Week
Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown has already been trending up in his transition to a starting role in Chicago, and he should be even more attractive in Week 9 of the fantasy baseball season while scheduled for a two-start week versus the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals. The 26-year-old has slowly been building up his pitch count in a starting role after opening the 2026 season as a reliever for the Cubbies. In his last outing on May 19 in a loss to the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers, Brown allowed three earned runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out six in five innings of work. He has thrown at least four innings in each of his first three starts, dating back to May 8, and he's racked up 13 strikeouts in his last two appearances. Neither the Pirates nor the Cardinals are exactly excellent matchups for Brown as far as being a streamer, but he becomes more valuable in weekly formats because he's slated to start twice. Despite taking his first loss his last time out, Brown holds a strong 2.09 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 40:12 K:BB in 38 2/3 innings this year, and he's only rostered in 39% of Yahoo leagues at the moment.
Source: Baseball Reference
Source: Baseball Reference
Cubs Place Edward Cabrera on the 15-Day Injured List
The Chicago Cubs placed right-hander Edward Cabrera (finger) on the 15-day injured list due to a blister on his right middle finger, retroactive to May 21. He was pulled from Wednesday's start against the Milwaukee Brewers early after allowing our runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out two batters across three innings. Before landing on the injured list, Cabrera owned a (3-2) record with a 4.00 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and a 47:20 K:BB across 54 innings this season. The Cubs recalled left-hander Jordan Wicks in a corresponding move, and he will take Cabrera's spot in the rotation. Wicks owns a 4.44 ERA, 1.57 WHIP, and 20 strikeouts across 26 1/3 innings with Triple-A Iowa. The 26-year-old has pitched well recently, posting a 0.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 12 strikeouts over 15 innings. Wicks is scheduled to start on the road against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday. He is mainly a streaming option in deep and NL-Only leagues for now.
Source: Taylor McGregor
Source: Taylor McGregor
Edward Cabrera Leaves Early on Wednesday With Middle-Finger Blister
Chicago Cubs right-hander Edward Cabrera (finger) left his start early on Wednesday against the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers with a right middle-finger blister, according to Jared Wyllys of CHGO Sports. Cabrera got through only three innings on Wednesday, allowing four runs (one earned) on four hits while walking two and striking out two to take his second loss of the season. It could be worse, but Cabrera is now in danger of missing his next scheduled start next Tuesday in Pittsburgh against the Pirates. The 28-year-old Dominican hurler has been inconsistent in his first year with the Cubbies, as he came into his start on Wednesday with a 3-1 record, 4.06 ERA (4.51 FIP), and 1.31 WHIP with 45 strikeouts and 18 walks in 51 innings pitched across nine starts. Fantasy managers should consider Cabrera day-to-day and check back in a few days to see how he's progressing with his blister. Cabrera faced the Pirates in his third start of the year back on April 11 at Wrigley Field and allowed three earned runs with three walks and four strikeouts in five innings for a no-decision.
Source: CHGO Sports - Jared Wyllys
Source: CHGO Sports - Jared Wyllys
Shota Imanaga Allows Season-Worst Eight Runs, Should Managers be Concerned?
Chicago Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga was touched up by the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers on Monday night to take his fourth loss of the season. It wasn't pretty, as the Japanese left-hander allowed a season-high eight earned runs on nine hits (two homers) while walking three and striking out two in 4 1/3 innings of work to raise his season ERA to 3.38. The 32-year-old southpaw came into the series opener against the Brew Crew with a 2.32 ERA with three straight quality starts, but he just wasn't on his game on Monday and allowed seven earned runs in the third and fourth innings combined. In his first three starts in May, Imanaga was excellent for his fantasy managers, giving up just three earned runs on 15 hits (two homers) while walking four and striking out 21 in 20 innings pitched. Outside of his rough outing on Monday, Imanaga has allowed more than two earned runs in a game just twice. His peripherals have been solid, so fantasy managers shouldn't be too concerned with Imanaga's ugly outing to begin Week 8.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Ben Brown Emerging as a Waiver-Wire Target Following Return to the Cubs Rotation
After opening the season in a bulk relief role, Chicago Cubs right-hander Ben Brown was moved into the starting rotation on May 8. The 26-year-old has impressed since the role shift, allowing just one hit while striking out 10 over eight innings of work (two starts). Brown's year-long numbers are excellent as well, as he's pitched to a 1.60 ERA and 0.86 WHIP with 34 strikeouts across 33 2/3 innings (14 games). Brown's 0.27 HR/9 is a significant improvement from the 1.52 HR/9 he posted in 2025, so he could be in line for some ERA regression as the weather heats up in Chicago and the ball starts to fly at Wrigley Field. Still, the hard-throwing right-hander owns a career MLB strikeout rate of 26.6% and appears to be finding his groove as a big-league pitcher. Now that he's back in the Cubs rotation, Brown offers some upside as a waiver-wire target for fantasy managers.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Matthew Boyd is Making Solid Progress
Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Matthew Boyd (knee) is reportedly feeling good physically and plans to throw off the mound on Saturday. If everything goes well, Boyd will throw a bullpen session sometime next week. This is great news considering Boyd underwent meniscus surgery on his left knee last week. The recovery timetable is about six weeks, so there's still more work to be done. It sounds like the veteran southpaw has a chance to beat that timetable, assuming everything continues to go well. There's a chance he is back in the Cubs rotation by mid-June. Boyd wasn't posting great numbers before the injury, but could be someone worth stashing in deep leagues.
Source: Tony Andracki
Source: Tony Andracki
Ben Brown Earns Another Start, Taking on Braves on Thursday
The Chicago Cubs have rewarded right-hander Ben Brown with another start, which will come on Thursday at Truist Park against the first-place Atlanta Braves and veteran lefty Chris Sale, per MLB.com. Brown, who is filling in for Chicago's banged-up starting rotation, earned a second start after tossing four shutout innings with no hits allowed, one walk, and three strikeouts in a no-decision against the Texas Rangers last Friday. On the year, the 26-year-old former 33rd-round pick by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2017 has been excellent for the Cubbies, recording a 1.82 ERA (2.65 FIP), 0.91 WHIP, one save, 27 strikeouts, and nine walks in 29 2/3 frames across 13 appearances (one start). Because Brown could stick around for the long term in Chicago's rotation, he's certainly worth a look off the waiver wire -- he's rostered in just 9% of Yahoo leagues. However, we wouldn't recommend starting him this week against a Braves team with the best OPS (.784) in the big leagues.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
