TODAY: The Cubs formally reinstated Hendricks from the injured record this morning, and introduced that right-hander Jose Cuas had been optioned to Triple-A Iowa within the corresponding transfer. Cuas, 30 subsequent month, has struggled to a 9.00 ERA and 5.03 FIP in six appearances with the membership this yr.
Could 11: The Cubs plan to activate right-hander Kyle Hendricks from the 15-day injured record tomorrow, supervisor Craig Counsell informed reporters (together with Maddie Lee of the Chicago Solar Occasions) following tonight’s recreation. He’ll begin tomorrow’s recreation in opposition to the Pirates reverse left-hander Bailey Falter. The Cubs might want to make area for Hendricks on the energetic roster previous to the sport.
Proper-hander Jameson Taillon was initially anticipated to begin tomorrow’s recreation, however Counsell informed reporters (as famous by Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune) earlier in the present day 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 in the present day went nicely, he nonetheless is “not fairly prepared” to begin one other recreation. With left-hander Shota Imanaga lined as much as begin Monday’s sequence opener in Atlanta, that will put Taillon in line to probably take the ball reverse the Braves on Tuesday.
That Taillon gained’t require one other journey to the injured record is definitely a reduction for Cubs followers. The proper-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 stunning to see Hendricks activated off the injured record so shortly. Whereas the right-hander has been on a rehab task because the begin of Could, 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.
Speeding the veteran again into motion on the large league degree is a dangerous determination after his begin to the season. The 34-year-old righty was positioned on the injured record on the finish of April resulting from a decrease again subject of his personal after making 5 begins, the outcomes of which had been nothing wanting 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 placing 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 interim, 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 degree.
Assuming an damage inside that group doesn’t remedy the logjam organically, the Cubs seem more likely 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 reduction corps. Assad additionally has reduction expertise on his resume, however it might 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 reduction look on the large league degree got here all the best way again in 2016.