Shōta Imanaga’s Injury Update is Encouraging

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.

Until his return, the Cubs will need to have other pitchers step up in Imanaga’s absence. All eyes are on top pitching prospect Cade Horton, who Counsell did say is being considered to fill in later this week in the starting rotation.

Horton has been phenomenal at Triple-A this season and last pitched on Sunday. Read more about the top Cubs’ pitching prospect here.

(Previous Update)

Cubs didn’t dodge a bullet this time as Shōta Imanaga has been placed on the 15-day injured list after suffering a left hamstring strain during Sunday’s series finale against the Brewers. After already losing Justin Steele for the rest of the 2025 season because of elbow surgery the Cubs have now lost their ace for the foreseeable future.

After finishing fourth in 2024 NL Rookie of the Year voting and being named to All-MLB’s Second Team, Imanaga was once again pitching well at the top of the Cubs rotation to begin the 2025 season. The left-hander has posted a 2.82 ERA in eight starts, but now Imanaga will be out for several weeks.

The Cubs have called up right-handed relief pitcher Gavin Hollowell to take Imanaga’s roster spot. The team won’t have to replace Imanaga in the starting rotation until the weekend, when the Cubs play the Mets in New York.

The Cubs have a few different routes they can take to find a replacement for Imanaga in the short term. Starters could be pushed up this weekend, Chris Flexen could get a start or maybe the most obvious choice is calling up top pitching prospect Cade Horton.

We’ll see later this week what the Cubs decide to do in the starting rotation, but it will definitely be huge shoes to fill for whoever it ends up being.