MILWAUKEE — The last thing the Chicago Cubs could afford right now was losing a key part of their rotation. Watching Shota Imanaga pull up while sprinting to cover first, grab his left hamstring and immediately motion to the dugout was worrisome. Imanaga was immediately removed from the game with what was later revealed as a left hamstring strain.
“We’ll probably do some imaging to see what’s going on,” manager Craig Counsell said after the Cubs’ 4-0 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday afternoon. “He’s never had any lower body muscle strains, so he’s a little unsure of what the feeling means. But he felt something for sure. So we’ll just get it checked out (Monday) and go from there.”
Counsell didn’t know if an injured list stint would be necessary. Imanaga, speaking after the game, was similarly unclear about what to expect.
“I’m at the point where I don’t know exactly what’s going on,” Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry. “We don’t know what the damage is. We’re going to have to see going into (Monday).”
Entering the bottom of the sixth, Imanaga was cruising along, engaged in a classic pitchers’ duel with Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta. The Cubs and Brewers were scoreless to that point, but the Brewers were threatening with runners on first and second and just one out. Imanaga induced a hard grounder off the bat of Christian Yelich; it was fielded cleanly by first baseman Michael Busch, who fired to second for the forceout.
Imanaga busted it to first to try to pull off a 3-6-1 double play, but halfway to the bag, he slowed up. Once he caught the ball, Imanaga reached to his left hamstring and motioned to the dugout. The trainer ran out with Counsell, flanked by Stanberry. The conversation was short, and Imanaga headed off the field, his day done.
Julian Merryweather came in for relief and struggled in spot duty, allowing both runners to score and an additional two runs, putting the Cubs in a 4-0 hole they never recovered from. But Sunday’s loss, which drops the Cubs to 21-14, pales in comparison to the potential absence of Imanaga.
Shota Imanaga has a 2.82 ERA through eight games, and the Cubs are hoping their top pitching prospect can avoid a stint on the injured list. (John Fisher / Getty Images)
Imanaga exited his last start early as well. Tuesday in Pittsburgh, Imanaga fired five shutout frames. But after giving up a leadoff double in the sixth to Andrew McCutchen, Imanaga left with cramping in both quads.
Counsell said they’d been checking on Imanaga regularly leading up to Sunday’s start and the lefty had no symptoms of the cramps returning or of any other lower body issues. Imanaga reiterated that what happened in Pittsburgh was in the front of his legs, not the hamstrings. And he’d been feeling strong all week.
“This week my body, physically, has felt really good,” Imanaga said. “Even before the game, I felt amazing. Hydration, everything felt great. So there was no sign in the back of my leg before the game or anything like that, so I’m in shock (that this happened).”
The Cubs have already lost Justin Steele for the season to left elbow surgery. Javier Assad was nearing a return from a left oblique strain that sidelined him for the start of the season, but his last rehab outing was cut short after a setback to the same injury. Assad is now on the 60-day injured list and not expected to return anytime soon.
In general, the Cubs’ depth has taken a hit. Jordan Wicks is struggling mightily at Triple A, where he has a 6.38 ERA, 17 percent strikeout rate and 10.2 percent walk rate. Chris Flexen, who was called up Wednesday, pitched three shutout innings in Friday’s 10-0 victory. The veteran righty had a 1.16 ERA in five Triple-A starts. He is certainly on the radar to fill in for Imanaga if necessary.
Flexen is likely the safe bet to fill in short-term for Imanaga if needed, but the more intriguing option, of course, is Cade Horton. Horton has bounced back from a rough 2024 and looks remarkably similar to the pitcher who dominated in 2023 and ended that season as arguably the top pitching prospect in the game.
“Not even close to there yet,” Counsell said when asked whether Horton, who would need to be added to the 40-man roster, could be an option if the Cubs need to fill Imanaga’s spot.
But even before Imanaga’s injury, sources within the organization have indicated they believe Horton is ready to contribute at the highest level. Horton tossed six innings of one-run ball Sunday with Triple-A Iowa, striking out five while walking one and allowing just two singles. On the season, Horton has a 1.24 ERA with a 30.6 percent strikeout rate and 12 percent walk rate.
The walk rate is elevated but is at just 5 percent over his last three starts. Sunday’s outing marked his second consecutive six-inning start. He had yet to toss six innings in a game during his professional career before that.
The Cubs had been hoping and expecting Horton would impact the team this season. Until Sunday, there didn’t seem to be an obvious landing spot for him. Colin Rea (1.46 ERA) has been pitching brilliantly in Steele’s absence, and Ben Brown bounced back nicely with six scoreless innings Friday.
If Imanaga heads to the IL and Horton is the choice, this certainly isn’t how the Cubs would have preferred their top pitching prospect to make his debut. But in a season in which October is a must and the team looks more than strong enough to make a run, all hands are on deck. In all likelihood, Horton was going to have a say in how things went for the Cubs this season. Barring surprisingly good news Monday, it might happen a little earlier than anyone expected.
(Top photo: Jeffrey Phelps / Associated Press)