Cabrera takes first step toward returning as reliever with rehab outing

CHICAGO -- Edward Cabrera’s first audition as a reliever lasted all of 17 pitches Tuesday night.

For a Cubs bullpen searching for some footing, though, what comes next could be considerably more important.

Cabrera began his rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa by allowing a solo homer to the first batter he faced before retiring the next three, including two by strikeout. It marked his first appearance since returning to the injured list Aug. 17 with another blister on his right middle finger and, more notably, his first step toward a potential new role.

“Nothing, no big observations,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday. “He threw [17] pitches. He’s going to pitch again on Friday, I believe. We’ll get him out there. And so, next step.”

That next step arrives at an opportune time for Chicago.

The Cubs entered Wednesday with a 6.62 bullpen ERA over their previous 10 games, a rough stretch that continued Tuesday when Milwaukee scored eight runs after the sixth inning began in a 9-4 Cubs loss. Daniel Palencia, still working his way back after missing time with a right elbow injury, was charged with two runs while recording just two outs.

Cabrera is not being viewed as a cure-all. But a pitcher acquired over the offseason because of his high-end arsenal suddenly represents one of several intriguing internal possibilities as Chicago tries to strengthen its pitching depth for September.

“I think it’s something new for [Cabrera],” Counsell said. “That’s why we’re going to give him multiple outings here. But certainly open to it being something that’s impactful.”

The Cubs initially acquired Cabrera to start, but his first season in Chicago has been interrupted repeatedly by blister trouble. He owns a 5.68 ERA in 15 starts, and the latest recurrence led the Cubs to explore whether shorter outings might both protect his finger and allow his stuff to translate in a different role.

He is not the only experienced arm working toward that possibility.

Veteran right-hander Shelby Miller, working back from right elbow surgery, also pitched Tuesday for Iowa and navigated around two hits and a walk to throw a scoreless inning. Left-hander Justin Steele is scheduled to make his Iowa rehab debut Wednesday, another significant step after essentially two seasons lost to elbow issues. If Steele advances far enough to become a Major League option, he would offer another potential left-handed depth piece rather than someone Chicago is counting on to fill a specific late-inning role.

Javier Assad could also re-enter the equation once he becomes eligible to return from Triple-A on Sept. 5.

For now, however, Counsell emphasized that the Cubs’ best path toward fixing the bullpen starts with the relievers already in it.

“These are the guys we need to pitch well,” Counsell said. “The way to do that is to get them back out there and have them pitch again. … If you’re not confident, that’s how you get your confidence back. If you’re struggling with something, that’s how you find it.

“You find it out there on the field, when the competition’s going on and the other side’s trying to get you.”