Well, this was a bummer. It’s not so much a setback and more of what to guard against when trying to be optimistic when it comes to soft-tissue injuries because the Cubs won’t have their ace Shōta Imanaga back for a while longer.
Cowboys Firing Mike McCarthy Would Be An Emotionally-Driven Mistake
Initially, imaging showed a very mild left hamstring strain for Imanaga, who suffered the injury on May 4, against the Brewers. In early May, that meant a potential return during the first week of June, which would be a major victory for the Cubs. That is no longer Imanaga’s projected timeline.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters on Monday that Imanaga will not return until, “well into June.”
Per Craig Counsell, #Cubs Shota Imanaga will begin throwing off a mound towards the end of next week. He said his return will be “well into June.”
That development pretty much puts Imanaga’s return date at about the six-week mark from the start of his stint on the injured list if all goes well in the next week or so. Justin Steele missed six weeks with a hamstring strain in 2024, and needed a rehab start in the minor leagues before he came back to the Cubs.
I guess the month-long absence was more wishful thinking than anything else because it did seem like Imanaga’s recovery time would be more in line with Steele’s timeline.
Imanaga posted a 2.82 ERA in 44.2 innings with 34 strikeouts and a 1.10 WHIP in eight starts prior to his injury.
The good news is that in Imanaga’s absence this year rookie Cade Horton has been solid so far in three outings. Horton has allowed seven earned runs in 14.1 innings and he’s coming off the best start of his pro career. The right-hander threw 92 pitches in 5.1 innings against the Marlins on Wednesday, and only allowed one earned run on six hits.
The Cubs are 3-0 in Horton’s three games since he was called up on May 10.
(Previous Update)
So, this still isn’t great, but if Shōta Imanaga is only out for four weeks, then that’s a massive win for the Cubs. The left-handed starter was placed on the 15-day injured list on Monday, and after the team’s 9-2 win over the Giants at Wrigley Field Cubs’ manager Craig Counsell shared a rather optimistic outlook for Imanaga.
A hamstring strain can be a rather nagging injury, so there’s no guarantee how a player will respond. However, it’s good to hear for now that Imanaga’s issue has been deemed to be very mild.
So, Imanaga will be out longer than the minimum 15-day stint on the IL, but it appears as though it won’t be as long as I originally thought when he first was removed from his start on Sunday against the Brewers. Last year, Justin Steele suffered a hamstring strain on Opening Day against the Rangers and missed nearly six weeks on what was considered a Grade 1 strain, which at the time was considered the best-case scenario, a mild strain.
The way Counsell sounds this time around regarding Imanaga makes us believe that the Cubs could have Imanaga back on the mound in a month, which would be about 1-2 weeks quicker than Steele’s return in 2024. That would be an excellent development for the Cubs, especially when you consider that Imanaga had just dealt with cramps and then immediately had the hamstring strain in his next start.
Imanaga will most likely have to make a rehab start just to knock off the rust and ramp back up after the extended time off, but it shouldn’t be much more than that once the soreness in the hamstring goes away.
