It was clear from the way left-hander Shota Imanaga grabbed the back of his left leg and limped off the field Sunday that he wasn’t going to be able to make his next start.
The Cubs made that official on Monday, putting him on the 15-day injured list after he strained his left hamstring running to cover first base in his start against the Brewers the day before. After the Cubs’ 9-2 win victory against the Giants on Monday, manager Craig Counsell said that the team doctor had gone over the MRI results with Imanaga, and the injury was presenting as a “very mild” strain.
“That makes us optimistic,” Counsell said. “It’s probable we’re going to be past two weeks here because we’re going to be cautious and make sure that he’s back to 100%. But all in all, pretty good news.”
What was less clear was how the team – now down its top two starters, with Justin Steele (elbow surgery) out for the rest of the season – would cover for Imanaga. In a corresponding move Monday, the team recalled reliever Gavin Hollowell, bolstering the bullpen while they considered their options.
“We’re talking about Saturday, and it’s Monday,” Counsell said. “So we haven’t made any decisions about that at this point. I really don’t think we have to make a decision until the off day [Thursday].”
Cubs top pitching prospect Cade Horton is one option to start Saturday against the Mets in New York, Counsell said. The 23-year-old right-hander is already on schedule, after throwing six two-hit innings for Triple-A Iowa on Sunday. Horton has posted a 1.24 ERA in Iowa this season.
“He’s been consistently good down there,” president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said. “He’s sort of built off a good spring training, but his last couple starts were better than the first couple starts down there. He’s been going six innings and throwing well, so he’s done his part in Triple-A.”
Right-hander Chris Flexen, who the Cubs called up last Wednesday as a multi-inning relief pitcher, is still stretched out after serving as a starter in Triple-A to begin the season, Counsell confirmed.
“We have options of how we want to decide to do that day,” Counsell said.
Imanaga’s recovery timeline could be part of the calculation. He was scheduled to meet with team physician Dr. Stephen Gryzlo on Monday afternoon and was therefore unavailable to comment Monday.
Hoyer acknowledged before the game that IL stints for hamstring strains are “usually longer” than two weeks. When Steele strained his hamstring last season fielding a bunt up the first baseline in his Opening Day start, for example, he was sidelined for about five weeks.
“It’s a pretty wide disparity,” Hoyer said of the range of timelines. “And the truth of the matter is, we don’t know today. We’re not going to know today exactly how long it’s going to be. Going to see how the [injury] presents itself, how he’s improving.
“And the most important thing with that kind of injury is to get him back and healthy for the remainder of the season, not to get him back. You talk about returning to play versus returning to your previous form, and that’s the most important thing. And it may take some time to get there.”
In the wake of Steele’s season-ending injury last month, Hoyer said he’d be making calls to potential trade partners, while acknowledging how rare it is for deals involving difference-making starting pitchers to come together so long before the trade deadline. Imanaga’s injury at least drew outside attention back to the importance of those efforts.
“I don’t think we needed this to hammer that home,” Hoyer said.