The Cubs plan to activate right-hander Kyle Hendricks from the 15-day injured record tomorrow, supervisor Craig Counsell instructed reporters (together with Maddie Lee of the Chicago Solar Instances) following tonight’s sport. He’ll begin tomorrow’s sport in opposition to the Pirates reverse left-hander Bailey Falter. The Cubs might want to make area for Hendricks on the lively roster previous to the sport.
Proper-hander Jameson Taillon was initially anticipated to begin tomorrow’s sport, however Counsell instructed reporters (as famous by Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) earlier at this time that the right-hander was coping with a bout of again stiffness that cropped up throughout a bullpen session on Tuesday. Whereas Counsell indicated after the sport that Taillon’s bullpen session at this time went properly, he nonetheless is “not fairly prepared” to begin one other sport. With left-hander Shota Imanaga lined as much as begin Monday’s sequence opener in Atlanta, that might put Taillon in line to probably take the ball reverse the Braves on Tuesday.
That Taillon received’t require one other journey to the injured record is definitely a aid for Cubs followers. The suitable-hander missed the primary three weeks of the season with decrease again and quad points however has been wonderful in 4 begins since being activated off the IL, with a 1.13 ERA and three.52 FIP in 24 innings of labor. However, it’s considerably shocking to see Hendricks activated off the injured record so shortly. Whereas the right-hander has been on a rehab task for the reason that begin of Might, the membership had beforehand indicated that the plan was for Hendricks to make a 3rd rehab begin this weekend earlier than figuring out subsequent steps. That plan now seems to have been scuttled in favor of Hendricks returning to the membership’s rotation.
Dashing the veteran again into motion on the large league stage is a dangerous resolution after his begin to the season. The 34-year-old righty was positioned on the injured record on the finish of April on account of a decrease again situation of his personal after making 5 begins, the outcomes of which have been nothing in need of brutal. Hendricks has but to document an out within the sixth inning in any of his appearances this season, and has accomplished the fifth inning simply as soon as whereas putting out simply 15.1% of batters confronted. Whereas his 6.6% stroll charge is kind of consistent with his profession norms, he’s allowed a whopping eight dwelling runs this season en path to a ghastly 12.00 ERA and seven.72 FIP in 21 innings of labor. MLBTR’s Anthony Franco explored Hendricks’s robust begin in depth shortly earlier than the membership positioned him on the IL final month.
Assuming Taillon is ready to slot again into the membership’s rotation subsequent week and Hendricks will stay within the combine for begins in the meanwhile, the Cubs determine to have an overflow of beginning pitching choices for his or her rotation in the intervening time. Proper-hander Ben Brown has already moved right into a bullpen function after beginning 4 video games for the membership earlier this yr, and lefty Jordan Wicks is at present on the injured record whereas nursing a forearm pressure, however that also leaves Imanaga, Justin Steele, Javier Assad, and Hayden Wesneski within the combine for begins alongside Taillon and Hendricks, to say nothing of prime prospect Cade Horton lurking on the Triple-A stage.
Assuming an damage inside that group doesn’t resolve the logjam organically, the Cubs seem prone to both make the most of a six-man rotation or just transfer Wesneski to the bullpen, the place he would pair with Brown to type a deadly multi-inning duo who could possibly be utilized in quite a lot of roles to bolster a struggling aid corps. Assad additionally has aid expertise on his resume, however it could be one thing of a shock to see the Cubs transfer the 26-year-old out of the rotation given sensational begin to the season that’s seen him pitch to a 1.70 ERA in eight begins. It’s additionally doable that if Hendricks’s struggles proceed the membership might look to take away him from the rotation, though his lone aid look on the large league stage got here all the way in which again in 2016.
