During Sunday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs ace Shota Imanaga suffered a hamstring strain that could land him on the injured list.
The Cubs won’t know the severity of the injury or how long Imanaga could be out for until he receives an MRI on Monday. But from the way the second-year left-hander was limping, and the fact that he immediately exited the game, the Cubs need to prepare for a stint on the injured list.
Chicago has already suffered one significant blow to their starting rotation when Justin Steele received season-ending elbow surgery earlier this year. The starting rotation is already on a shaky foundation with Colin Rea and Ben Brown being mainstays, not to mention Matthew Boyd’s injury risk.
But until Chicago can attempt to swing a trade for a starter, here are some of their options.
1. Put Chris Flexen in the rotation
Chris Flexen is the most likely option to slide into the starting rotation. He is already on the active roster and he is stretched out as a starter. The 30-year-old spent the first month of the season starting games for the Iowa Cubs in Triple-A and he dazzled with a 1.16 ERA in five starts, with 21 strikeouts over 23.1 innings pitched. The right-hander also limited opponents to a .224 batting average.
Since his minor league contract featured an opt-out on May 1, Flexen was called up to take the swingman/long reliever job in the major league bullpen after Javier Assad was shelved with an oblique strain. So far, Flexen has one appearance under his belt, and it came during Friday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The veteran pitcher piggybacked Ben Brown’s dominant outing to provide three shutout innings of his own while striking out four.
Flexen has had a rough track record over the last two seasons (9.20 ERA), but it wasn’t long ago he was a vital contributor to the Seattle Mariners rotation. The veteran has eight years of MLB experience as both a starter and reliever, he is stretched out to start games, and he has been successful this year. Flexen just makes the most sense right now.
2. Call up Cade Horton
This is the sexy option that everyone on the internet is calling for, but I have reservations about calling up top pitching prospect Cade Horton this early. While the 23-year-old has dazzled with the Iowa Cubs this year, posting a 1.24 ERA, 33 strikeouts, and a 0.86 WHIP over 29 innings, Horton still needs time to mature in Triple-A.
The young starter still only has 151 2/3 innings of professional baseball under his belt and he is coming off a shoulder injury that caused him to miss two-thirds of the 2024 season. The Cubs should be wary of starting the clock on Horton’s major-league career until he has proven he can stay healthy a bit longer.
I think Horton will be used on the major-league team at some point this year, especially if he keeps pitching like this. But I think it’s wise to let him get some more reps and get his body used to pitching 5+ innings every fifth day. The Cubs should do everything they can to preserve the long-term health and longevity of Horton as an MLB starter, and calling him up in May could be counterintuitive.
3. Use Keegan Thompson in the bullpen
Before the start of the season, the Cubs designated right-handed reliever Keegan Thompson for assignment, but he cleared waivers and opted to stay with the organization. And the former starter has quietly put together a solid first month with the Iowa Cubs.
The 30-year-old has compiled a 2.41 ERA and struck out 27 batters over 18.2 innings pitched. Notably, Thompson has been going longer in his relief outings and started three games, including in his last appearance on Friday. In that game, Thompson tossed four innings while only surrendering one earned run.
In the scenario of the Cubs calling up Thompson, it seems like he would be used out of the bullpen as the swingman and Flexen gets used as a starter. Or they could try Thompson in the rotation first, whichever makes more sense. Using Thompson would mean clearing a 40-man roster spot, but it might be worth it if Imanaga goes on the IL and Thompson has plenty of experience in the bigs (227.1 innings).
4. Give Jordan Wicks another shot
The other option would be calling up Jordan Wicks, but the southpaw has been completely ineffective for both Triple-A and the Cubs. Wicks gave up seven earned runs and two home runs in his last start on May 1. After allowing six hits and five earned runs in his two games with the Cubs this year, and immediately getting sent back down, it seems unlikely he will get another call until he strings together some good outings.