May 4, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) delivers a pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning at American Family Field. Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Chicago Cubs Superstar Leaves Game with Limp After Covering First Base

Originally posted on Chicago Cubs on SI | By Nick Ziegler | Last updated May 4, 2025 4:26 PM ET

The Chicago Cubs might have a serious issue on their hands with another pitcher getting injured over the weekend.

It has been an excellent season for the Cubs, but they do have an area of weakness in their starting rotation, and the weakness might only be growing.

Recently, Justin Steele was ruled out for the rest of the year with an arm injury, which appeared to be a crippling blow to the rotation. Now, another key pitcher for Chicago was forced to leave a game with an injury.

In the sixth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers, star pitcher Shota Imanaga was forced to leave the game with a noticeable limp while trying to cover first base on a double-play attempt, per the Chicago Sun-Times' Maddie Lee.

Shota Imanaga is leaving the game in B6 with a noticeable limp after covering first on that double play attempt.
— Maddie Lee (@maddie_m_lee) May 4, 2025

It has been a really strong campaign for Imanaga, who has once again been the best pitcher for the Cubs. Coming off a fantastic 2024 season, hopes were high that he could live up to that once again in 2025, and so far he has.

Now, this is a major concern for the franchise if he is going to miss time. The rotation for Chicago was already missing Steele, and they simply don’t have the depth or talent to survive an injury to their ace.

The star left-hander will certainly be getting looked at, but it was a significant limp off the field while trying to make the play at first.

The Cubs will be holding their breath and hope that their ace won’t miss too much time.

Furthermore, this only increased their need to get some help in the rotation following the injury to Steele.

This article first appeared on Chicago Cubs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: