After an absence of a month and a half, Shota Imanaga will finally return to the mound this Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals, as reported by ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
This will mark Imanaga’s first start since May 4th against the Milwaukee Brewers. It was in this game that he suffered a hamstring strain that landed him on the injured list. This was a brutal loss for the Cubs, as their rotation was already thin after losing Justin Steele for the season. Since then, they were forced to resort to Colin Rea and Cade Horton. While Rea held his own for a good amount of time, he has had some rough outings recently. As for Cade Horton, he has definitely been serviceable but lacks experience and longevity. For these reasons, getting Imanaga back will be huge for Chicago, as he holds a 2.82 ERA this year.
Shōta Imanaga will return Thursday and pitch in series finale against Cardinals, per @JesseRogersESPN. pic.twitter.com/JMXuVORoEQ
— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) June 23, 2025
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Shota Imanaga Will Return to Cubs on Thursday
Imanaga’s Rehab
Shota Imanaga started his rehab process in the Arizona Complex League on June 9th. Here, he threw two solid innings along with a bullpen. Since then, he has worked up to Triple-A Iowa, where he has excelled. On Friday, June 20th, Imanaga made a start where he went 4 1/3 innings with no earned runs and eight strikeouts.
Shota Imanaga during Friday’s rehab start
4.1 IP | 8 K | 0 ER | 72 pitches pic.twitter.com/5aGiFPaT2Z
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 21, 2025
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Shota Imanaga’s few rehab starts went about as good as anyone could hope. Cubs manager Craig Counsell said, “Everything went great, did what we hoped he would do,” when talking about Imanaga joining the team in St. Louis. This is all great news to hear, especially after a hamstring injury. The last thing you want to see after an injury is a decline in performance or the possibility of re-injury.
It is unclear whose spot he will take in the rotation as of right now. But it will most likely be Ben Brown, Cade Horton, or Colin Rea. Whoever it is will most likely be moved to the bullpen. Regardless of who it is, having Shota back will be a huge boost for the Cubs.
Main Photo Credit: © Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
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