CHICAGO — Anyone who has watched baseball a long time, in fact, anyone who has watched the first four months of the Chicago Cubs’ season, can tell you there’s no such thing as having too much pitching. The Cubs have 14 pitchers on the injured list. As Chicago pushes through 17 straight games, it is leaning on new arms acquired in trades and cycling through optionable pitchers.After acquiring four arms at the trade deadline, with numerous others nearing returns from injury, there are questions about how it all will fit.“It’s a good problem to have,” Chicago pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said. “I just try not to get too far ahead. What do we have lined up for the next week? How are those guys progressing, and how do we continue to find ways to piece them in when they do come back? We have a lot of guys here that have earned the right to be here and stay here. That’s gonna be the hard decision. When those guys come back, what’s going to be the next step?”Those things have a way of figuring themselves out — and if not, great. Having a plethora of good pitchers but only so many roster spots is a complication Chicago will take.Right now, there aren’t any decisions to make, but they could be coming soon. Here’s a look at seven arms who could factor into the team’s stretch run and the playoffs.Braxton GarrettThe Cubs made four trades in the two days leading up to the deadline. Clay Holmes (starter), Kevin Gausman (starter) and Ryan Zeferjahn (high-leverage, right-handed bullpen arm) all have defined roles right now. What about Garrett?The left-hander, who was acquired from the Miami Marlins, was making starts at Triple A and was called up ahead of Thursday’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Tyler Ferguson was sent down, but don’t take that as a sign that he’s out of Chicago’s plans. The righty has a 3.45 ERA with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate and 3.2 percent walk rate in 15 2/3 innings since joining the team. The Cubs are very happy with him and expect him to be a part of their stretch run. They just need innings right now, and Ferguson had an option.Chicago sees Garrett as a starter long-term, but there’s no rotation spot for him at the moment.“For Braxton right now, the role of coming in and being in the bullpen right now is a lot more for us to have some protection,” Hottovy said. “Long term, he’s definitely a guy we see that can start and be a good starter in the big leagues. Where we are in the season, that obviously changes things for this year.”Right now, the Cubs have Ryan Rolison performing well as their top lefty in the bullpen. After that, things are a bit cloudy. Caleb Thielbar has solid strikeout and walk numbers, but his home-run issues are a major problem, and he’s got a career-high 42.9 percent hard-hit rate.There could be more lefty bullpen help coming, but Garrett is an option. He’s been sitting 92-plus mph as a starter with a good sweeper and gyro slider. Does that tick up out of the bullpen? That’s very likely. Could he impress in the role? That’s yet to be seen.Hoby MilnerHoby Milner underwent an appendectomy earlier this season. (Jessie Alcheh / Associated Press)The veteran lefty landed on the injured list near the end of June after having an appendectomy, but has made three rehab outings. His most recent came Wednesday, when he faced six batters and gave up one hit and an unearned run while throwing 23 pitches.“For Hoby, he can have a good outing, but it’s more about how you feel the next day,” Hottovy said. “He’s a guy that’s going to pitch quite often when he does come back. When you come back from an appendix, the arm is not the problem; it’s more about how the rest of the body feels.”Milner is having his worst strikeout (12.1 percent) and groundball (43.6 percent) seasons, but he’s a workhorse, can induce weak contact and is another veteran arm who manager Craig Counsell trusts. He’s expected to have at least one more outing in the minors.Daniel PalenciaA healthy and effective Palencia added to the back end of the bullpen with Zeferjahn would create quite the duo for Counsell. Palencia, who has been on the shelf since mid-June with an elbow issue, made his first rehab outing Wednesday.Palencia walked two and got just two outs while facing five batters. Hottovy said he was inconsistent with his delivery and command, but that’s what rehab outings are for.“We know with Danny, that’s going to come pretty quickly as he continues to gain confidence,” Hottovy said. “The most important thing: He felt good and felt strong coming out of it. That checked a big box in my head and his head coming off the arm stuff.”They may want Palencia to get a couple more outings in the minors before he returns, but when he does, Counsell said he’d ease him into his role before just throwing him back into the closer’s spot.“I think initially when Daniel comes back, we’re certainly going to be flexible with when he pitches,” Counsell said. “Just get him into some appearances. If we get to a place where we’re kind of getting more defined, great. If we don’t, great.”Edward Cabrera“He’s got an electric arm,” Chicago pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said of Edward Cabrera. (David Banks / Imagn Images)Cabrera, who went on the injured list in late June with a hamstring strain, made his second rehab start on Wednesday. He threw 55 pitches in four innings, striking out eight while giving up just one unearned run on one hit. He was dominant, averaging 97.4 mph with his four-seamer, nearly a tick and a half above his season average.The question for Cabrera is where he fits into a rotation with five slots already filled and Javier Assad and Colin Rea already moved to the bullpen. Could he be shifted to a relief role as well?“I think we’re definitely open to doing that,” Hottovy said. “He’s got an electric arm. It’d be crazy not to think about him coming into a postseason game and (throwing) the back-end two, three innings of a game. Our goal is to get him back as a starter. How things end up at the end of the year — you know how the postseason is, it’s an all-hands-on-deck approach.”Cabrera will come back as a starter at first, though how that all works out and who, if anyone, gets moved out of the rotation is to be determined. If he ultimately winds up in the bullpen, that’s a scary thought for the opposition. Especially come October.Ben BrownAfter having some bad days when trying to work through different steps, Brown — placed on the injured list in June with a neck strain —has been symptom-free for a little while now. He’s worked out on flat ground, and Wednesday the Cubs introduced some mound work. The next step is for Brown to throw a touch-and-feel bullpen on Friday. After that, it’s about adding intensity and then spin to his bullpen sessions. Eventually, rehab game action.“I think there’s a real chance you’re seeing him in games in like a two- or three-inning stint,” Hottovy said. “But we’re still a ways away from that in my mind. I don’t want to get him too far ahead of himself. He’s stacking up great days and I want to keep doing that.”A healthy and effective Brown is a game-changer for Chicago’s bullpen. The Cubs saw that early in the season before he moved to the rotation — where he was dominant — and hope to see it again in September and October.Justin SteeleJustin Steele has been sidelined for some time. (Matt Dirksen / Chicago Cubs / Getty Images)Finally, some real progress for Steele, who underwent season-ending surgery in 2025 and one season later has dealt with a flexor strain in his elbow. He looked good in a bullpen he threw at Wrigley and is scheduled for another one in Arizona for Friday. After that, he’ll throw a more intense bullpen, pushing from 25 pitches to around 40. Then the Cubs will decide if he’s facing hitters or doing an up-down bullpen session.“No. 1 goal for Justin is to get to a point where he’s pitching in games healthy this year and gain some confidence,” Hottovy said. “That’s going to start at the Arizona level and then an affiliate for rehab and then hopefully it ends with us. He’s fully willing, able and accepted the fact that there’s not enough time to get stretched out as a starter this year. But there’s definitely an opportunity to use him in a two-inning stint later in the year.”Could Steele be the second dominant lefty out of the bullpen for this team? That may be getting ahead of things. The Cubs want to see him continue to take steps forward, but that’s certainly the dream scenario for this season.Shelby MillerMiller, who signed with Chicago in February while recovering from Tommy John surgery, is perhaps the biggest wild card of the group. Miller was signed with 2027 in mind, but a few months into his rehab, the Cubs realized perhaps late in 2026 was possible. Miller has thrown in four Arizona bridge games where he’s been sitting 95 to 97 with his four-seamer while also throwing his splitter, sweeper and gyro slider. He’s expected to get into game action in the minors this weekend.After that? It will be about how he looks. Still, when healthy, Miller has shown he can be trusted as a high-leverage bullpen arm for a playoff-caliber team. Another right-handed option for Counsell late in games to potentially add to Palencia, Zeferjahn and Jacob Webb would be welcome.