First pitch is 1:20 PM CT for the rubber-or-spoiler game of this interleague set, with both clubs working around rotations that look nothing like what they drew up in March. Toronto lost Max Scherzer to the 15-day IL on Wednesday with back spasms, on top of Jose Berrios (Tommy John) and Shane Bieber (still rehabbing), so whoever takes the ball is doing it without the guys the Jays paid to anchor this thing. The Cubs are in the same boat, just with different names — Matthew Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Justin Steele, and Cade Horton are all on the shelf, with Edward Cabrera day-to-day on a sore right hand.
Despite the carnage, both teams come in playing decent ball. The Cubs grabbed 2 of 3 from the Rockies at Wrigley, including an 8-6 slugfest on Wednesday, and sit at 39-36 in a brutal NL Central. Toronto, meanwhile, just walked into Fenway and beat the Red Sox 6-1 and 3-0 on back-to-back nights to climb back to 36-38. The Jays will take that momentum into Chicago even if the rotation looks like a Triple-A Buffalo bullpen day waiting to happen.
The bigger storyline in the Toronto lineup is still Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who went into June stuck in the worst power slump of his career and has been telling reporters the swing feels right again. He's reportedly pulling the ball in the air more after sessions with the hitting coaches, and a Sunday matinee at Wrigley with the wind doing whatever Wrigley wind does is the kind of spot where one good Vlad swing flips a game. Daulton Varsho (wrist) is back in the cages but not back in the lineup, and Addison Barger is still working toward a rehab assignment, so the supporting cast around Vlad is thinner than Toronto wants.
- Day-To-DayGeovanny Jesus Planchart C — no
- Day-To-DayChay Yeager RP — Yeager will undergo season-ending UCL surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.
- 10-Day-ILDaulton Varsho CF — Varsho (wrist) is beginning to feel better and resumed hitting in the batting cages Wednesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports
- 10-Day-ILAddison Barger RF — The Blue Jays are hoping to send Barger (elbow) on a rehab assignment next week, Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reports.
- 10-Day-ILLenyn Sosa 2B — Sosa went 2-for-5 with a solo home run, an additional run and an additional RBI on Saturday against the Twins in an 11-4 victory.
- 15-Day-ILMax Scherzer SP — The Blue Jays placed Scherzer on the 15-day injured list Wednesday due to back spasms.
- developmental listFernando Perez P
- 60-Day-ILYimi Garcia RP — Garcia (elbow) struck out the side Tuesday for Triple-A Buffalo and is scheduled for another rehab outing Thursday, reports Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca.
- Day-To-DayEdward Cabrera SP — Manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Cabrera's right hand is feeling better, and he's expected to be on a normal schedule leading up to his next start, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.
- Day-To-DayJaxon Wiggins SP — The Cubs announced Wednesday that Wiggins (elbow) has resumed throwing bullpen sessions and facing hitters at the organization's complex in Arizona and could soon be ready to pitch in games, MLB.com reports.
- Day-To-DayBrandon Birdsell RP — Birdsell (elbow) will miss the entire 2026 season, Jim Callis of MLB Pipeline reports.
- Day-To-DayJeff Brigham RP — Brigham was placed on the 7-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul, retroactive to April 6, with a left oblique strain, TwinsDaily.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILMatthew Boyd SP — Boyd (knee/shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Saturday, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILDaniel Palencia RP — Palencia (2-1) worked around a walk to toss a scoreless inning of relief and earn the win in Monday's 5-4 victory over the Rockies. He struck out three.
- 15-Day-ILJameson Taillon SP — Taillon (hamstring) is expected to be sidelined until after the All-Star break, Vinnie Duber of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
- 15-Day-ILRiley Martin RP — Martin has been diagnosed with flexor strain in his left elbow and is expected to miss eight weeks, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
On the Chicago side, Shota Imanaga has quietly settled back into ace mode and Javier Assad has been promoted out of Iowa to plug a rotation hole, which tells you everything about how depth-tested this group is. Craig Counsell's bullpen has been the bridge holding the whole thing up — Daniel Palencia just notched the win in Monday's 5-4 over Colorado before going to the 15-day IL — and with Cabrera maybe pushed back, that bullpen could be in line for heavy work again on a getaway day.
This is the series finale of a 3-game interleague set, and the Cubs need to keep banking wins at Wrigley with the Brewers breathing down their neck. The Jays need to keep doing what they did in Boston, which is win the games their lineup is supposed to win. Sunday's the kind of midseason matinee that doesn't move the standings much on its own, but loses are extra annoying when the room is this thin on arms.