Chicago Cubs’ Shota Imanaga Dominates Again in Second Injury Rehab Start

Shota Imanaga is ready for a promotion as he continued his injury rehab for the Chicago Cubs at the Arizona Complex League on Saturday.

For the second time this week, Imanaga started a game for the ACL Cubs and for the second time this week the 31-year-old left-hander dominated rookie-level with relative ease.

Against the ACL Reds, Imanaga went four innings, giving up three hits, no runs and no walks. He struck out four.

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This came after his start on Monday against the ACL Rockies, when he went two innings, gave up one hit and struck out four.

The good news is that he exceeded the marks the Cubs had set forth earlier in the week. Per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, Chicago was hoping for three innings and anywhere from 50 to 55 pitches from Imanaga.

The MiLB Statcast feed did not indicate a pitch count for the lefty but given that he threw four innings he probably worked efficiently against the Reds.

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What’s next? Per Montemurro, the Cubs hope to have Imanaga make another rehab start next week with Triple-A Iowa. That assumes he emerges from Saturday’s game with no setbacks.

If Imanaga were to work on normal rest, he could pitch for Iowa as early as Thursday when the Cubs are in Nashville to take on the Sounds.

Earlier this week, manager Craig Counsell told reporters that Imanaga would need at least one more rehab game after Saturday’s outing in Arizona.

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"Shota has got a couple more starts before you're going to see him in Chicago,” Counsell said in comments conveyed by 670 The Score in Chicago. “That's because as a starter, you've got to go through this process where you're lengthened out and your arm recovers."

Imanaga went on the injured list on May 5 with a left hamstring strain. He probably needs to be stretched out to 70-80 pitchers to be ready to return to Chicago.  

Through eight starts he was 3-2 with a 2.82 ERA, with 34 strikeouts and 14 walks in 44.2 innings. His health is paramount for the Cubs and their hopes beyond winning the National League Central Division. Their other left-handed standout, Justin Steele, is out for the season after elbow surgery.

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Without him, Chicago has remained one of the best teams in the National League, bolstered by its offense. To augment the rotation, the Cubs called up top prospect Cade Horton, who has fit in nicely and has made a case to remain part of the rotation when Imanaga returns.

Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Ben Brown and Colin Rea make up the rest of the rotation right now.

With Imanaga’s injury and the relative lack of depth in the rotation, MLB insiders believe the Cubs will try and make some kind of move for a starting pitcher at the trade deadline at the end of July.

For more Cubs news, head over to Cubs On SI.