Chicago Cubs get great news from lefty ace’s first rehab outing

On Monday, the much-needed rotation asset finally pitched in an actual game situation– and it reportedly went quite well.

Pitching for the Arizona Complex League (ACL) Cubs in a game against the ACL Rockies, SI.com reports that Imanaga worked two full innings, allowing only one hit and striking out four. By accounting of the stats, it was a commanding performance in 106-degree Arizona weather and with lots of underlying uncertainty mixed up with the stress of facing his first live hitters in over a month. No pitch count was released.

The next step, of course, is to do this all over again, likely upping the pitch count a bit, before possibly moving on to an actual minor league rehab stint. Obviously, though, this depends on how Imanaga feels and how the Cubs feel about his advancement. More and more, it’s looking like manager Craig Counsell’s mid-May assessment of a major league return “well into June” will be right on the money.

But we ARE ten days into June, as of this writing, so that’s not entirely awful news.

The Chicago Cubs Starting Rotation Balancing Act

To say that the Cubs need Imanaga is an understatement. Even with the team sitting somewhat comfortably atop the NL Central Division and the starting pitching holding together admirably well, the strains of a depleted front of rotation are starting to be felt. As the season goes on and the pressure of a playoff race amps up, the team won’t be able to skate by on a strong offense and a merely competent everything else.

Offseason free agent acquisition Matthew Boyd and Jameson Taillon have picked up the front-of-rotation slack in Imanaga’s absence. Free agent signee Colin Rea has, mostly, done well in his role as a fill-in starter. Top pitching prospect Cade Horton is clearly a work in progress, but he’s also performed well enough since his big league call-up in early May. Sophomore Ben Brown, meanwhile, has put together a pair of impressive outings after a wildly inconsistent beginning to the season.

Aggressive Trade-Minded Cubs?

Maintaining a league-competitive rotation in the face of losing their two aces (and fifth starter Javier Assad before the season began) has been an impressive balancing for Counsell and his staff. But it’s a balancing act nonetheless.

It’s widely believed that the Cubs will be very aggressive in looking for pitching before the trade deadline and potential high-end trade targets have already been mentioned.

Getting Imanaga back, though, would be a huge playoff drive boost alongside whoever they can pick up in a swap.