Cubs Swap Arms: Edward Cabrera Returns as Trent Thornton Hits the IL

September baseball is basically a war of attrition where teams just try to find enough healthy shoulders to survive until October.

The Chicago Cubs are playing the roster shuffle game today, activating starter Edward Cabrera while sending reliever Trent Thornton to the 15-day injured list, according to MLB Trade Rumors.

Thornton hitting the shelf on September 12 means he is essentially done for the regular season. You do not need an advanced math degree to know that 15 days from now puts us right at the finish line of the schedule.

Losing a bullpen arm right now stings, but getting Cabrera back is a massive wild card for a team trying to string together wins. He provides a fresh arm right when pitching staffs across the league are running on fumes.

Chicago desperately needs the reinforcement. They just survived a brutal stretch, dropping three straight tight games to the Milwaukee Brewers before finally bouncing back with a 12-2 blowout over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.

Anyone looking at Cubs moneylines or totals down the stretch has to factor in this swap. You are trading a known bullpen quantity for a starter who now has to prove he is fully healthy in the most high-leverage month of the year.

With Pittsburgh still in town for the rest of the weekend, Cabrera has a relatively soft landing spot to get his legs back under him. If he can eat innings, the Cubs just got a major weapon back at the exact right time.