The Chicago Cubs have had a spectacular start to the 2025 season, with a 27-19 record to their name, they stand atop the National League Central. Over the course of the early part of the year they have had quite a few injury setbacks however, including Javier Assad, Justin Steele, and more recently, Shota Imanaga alongside Ian Happ.
The latter two have been recovering in recent days, and have been able to continue to work towards a return to the lineup as the team continues to win. The question is more a matter of when they would return, with both being eligible to do so in the coming days. General manager Carter Hawkins would recently provide some critical information regarding both players and their recovery progress.
In a recent media appearance with the Marquee Sports Network, Hawkins would speak on a litany of topics, and one of the more notable ones was potential timelines for Happ and Imanaga, with the full quote reading as follows:
“Yeah, I mean Ian, as you said, is coming along, he’s kinda checking some of the boxes now to getting back towards the field. I would hope that that’s, y’know, a close to minimum stay, if not minimum stay, we’ll see how it all plays out over the next few days, he has to continue to check those boxes. But, y’know, he’s putting the work in to make sure he comes back, but comes back fully healthy.”
“Same thing with Shota, y’know it’s a little bit different when you got a pitcher, you’ve got not only what he has to deal with in terms of getting his lower half ready, and ready to be able to go do PFPs and things like that. But also, has to continue to keep his arm healthy, and there’s a little bit of de-conditioning that happens when you’re not able to throw on the mound, so now we’ll have to build him back up. So, little bit more time there, so we’re gonna be safe with Shota for sure, but expect that it will get him back here soon, and can’t wait to get him back in that rotation, that’s for sure.”
These are both positive updates, no doubt, as it sounds like both players will be coming back in the near future as opposed to further out. Hearing that Happ is closing in on a return, and Imanaga will be a little further behind, but not by much, is a huge deal for the team. Both players have been critical to the success of the Cubs in 2025, and having them back in the fold will no doubt increase their ceiling overall.
