Chicago Cubs to Evaluate Shota Imanaga After His Next Start
CHICAGO – The Chicago Cubs are awaiting Shota Imanaga’s next outing in Triple-A Iowa on Friday to determine the next steps to take. Imanaga is in the process of recovering after suffering a strain in his left hamstring. The left-handed pitcher has a 3-2 record with an ERA of 2.82 in eight starts for the Cubs this season. The incident that caused the injury to 31-year-old Imanaga occurred during the sixth inning of a game against Milwaukee on May 4, in which the Cubs lost 4-0.Imanaga has already completed six innings without allowing runs in two rehabilitation outings in the Arizona Complex League. In addition, he threw a bullpen session in Arizona on Tuesday before joining Iowa. The return of Imanaga could be a significant boost for the Cubs, who extended their lead in the National League Central to 6.5 games after defeating Milwaukee 5-3 on Tuesday night. Wednesday’s game against the Brewers was postponed due to rain. Imanaga signed a four-year, $53 million contract with Chicago in January 2024. Last year, he had a 15-3 record with a 2.91 ERA in 29 starts, which earned him a selection to the National League All-Star Game and a fourth-place finish in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Cubs reliever Porter Hodge is also progressing in Iowa. He is recovering from a left oblique strain. The 24-year-old right-handed pitcher pitched a scoreless inning on Tuesday.We just want to evaluate Friday’s output and proceed from there.
Craig Counsell, Cubs Manager
Hodge, 24, has a 2-1 record with a 5.12 ERA and two saves in 21 games this season. In 2024, he had a 3-1 record with a 1.88 ERA and nine saves in 39 games.He will have at least one more appearance in Iowa.
Craig Counsell, Cubs Manager
