Cubs pitching – With an entire rotation and late-inning bullpen group on the injured list at the same time, the Cubs have turned to quick reinforcements—trading for David Peterson, picking up Bryse Wilson off waivers, and recalling Jordan Wicks for a high-stakes 10th inning t
Milwaukee is still buzzing from the sound of a ninth inning that wouldn’t end—and then the stress that followed in the 10th.
For the Cubs. that late surge came against a familiar backdrop: injuries that have piled up so quickly the team’s pitching picture has been “sort of a nightmare.” An entire rotation and a late-inning relief mix are on the injured list at the same time. Some pitchers are working their way back. Others will stay down deep into the summer—or longer.
The games keep coming anyway. So president Jed Hoyer and the front office keep hunting, unable to afford leaving any option unexplored—whether that means small trades, waiver-wire pick-ups, or players released elsewhere.
“It was nice to get Peterson, but there’s going to be more challenges ahead,” Hoyer said Thursday. “We have to be prepared with that, talking about small trades, waiver-wire [pick-ups], released players. Just looking everywhere we can for reinforcements.”
Peterson’s debut was the kind of early breather the Cubs needed. Left-hander David Peterson was acquired in a trade Thursday and made his Cubs debut Saturday against the Brewers. He gave up two runs in 5⅓ innings in a “solid effort,” setting a tone that felt like more than a one-off.
Peterson came to Chicago in a long-gestating deal with the Mets. The urgency to finalize the trade increased once right-handers Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown went on the injured list on the same day.
Cubs aren’t calling it solved. They’re calling it work.
Waiver-wire reinvention
The waiver wire is where the Cubs found another live arm. Right-hander Bryse Wilson was brought in to serve as the bulk guy on a bullpen day Sunday. In the process, Chicago also reunited Wilson with former skipper Craig Counsell, the manager he worked under in Milwaukee.
Wilson pitched 4⅓ innings of scoreless ball. It helped set the Cubs up for a 4-3, 10-inning victory.
“My best year of my career was in ’23 with [Counsell],” Wilson said. “He’s a phenomenal manager. Being able to play with him and know that he has some sort of confidence in me? It’s been a couple of years, but to know that he knows what kind of pitcher I am is awesome.”
The Cubs’ immediate goals may not sound like the stuff of highlight reels. They’re about staying afloat long enough that “being contenders come September” is even on the table. A championship 2026 season may be what fans imagine—but right now. Peterson and Wilson are helping with the more urgent math: keeping the pitching staff from sinking while healthier arms are still out of reach.
Wicks finds his moment
Jordan Wicks’ path has been bumpier. Earlier this season, the left-hander was being used as an attempt to find a fill-in for injured Cubs starters. It didn’t go well.
He was jettisoned back to the minor leagues after allowing 11 runs in 6⅓ innings in two outings in late May.
Then the Cubs’ pitching straits worsened enough to call him back before the series finale Sunday. He arrived at the worst possible time to be thinking about comfort—and the best time to measure whether a pitcher can handle pressure.
Wicks stepped into a bases-loaded, nobody-out situation in a two-run game in the 10th inning. He walked in a run, then got a flyout and a double-play grounder to help the Cubs avoid disaster. The result: another Cubs win, 4-3 in 10 innings.
“That’s why you want to play this game,” Wicks said, “for moments like that.”
He also acknowledged the reality of what’s in front of him. Wicks hasn’t been the most attractive option in the Cubs’ search for reliable innings. Still, with better results, he could become another capable fill-in.
“I’ve got to earn it,” Wicks said. “My two outings this year, I didn’t show that, and I know that. It’s something that’s earned in this league; it’s not given to you. For me, it was exciting to come up because it was another opportunity for me to try to do that.”
The through-line isn’t hard to see: each move—trade. waiver pickup. and a minor-league recall—arrives because the Cubs have to solve the same problem in different ways. When injuries hit at full scale, baseball doesn’t offer a pause button. It just keeps sending hitters to the plate. inning by inning. until you find someone who can get you through the moment.
Chicago Cubs Jed Hoyer David Peterson Bryse Wilson Craig Counsell Jordan Wicks Milwaukee Brewers pitching injuries injured list waiver wire