{"id":53615,"date":"2025-05-07T14:28:31","date_gmt":"2025-05-07T14:28:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53615"},"modified":"2025-05-07T14:28:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T14:28:31","slug":"chicago-cubs-lefty-shota-imanaga-is-thinking-positively-after-left-hamstring-strain-diagnosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53615","title":{"rendered":"Chicago Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga is \u2018thinking positively\u2019 after left hamstring strain diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Shota Imanaga isn\u2019t exactly sure what to expect.<\/p>\n

The Chicago Cubs left-hander has never experienced a lower-body injury, so the Grade 1 left hamstring strain he sustained trying to cover first base during the sixth inning Sunday in Milwaukee creates an unclear timeline for when he could return to the rotation. His recovery and rehab process will be measured in weeks, not days, as the Cubs cautiously handle the injury.<\/p>\n

Imanaga is \u201cthinking positively\u201d and anticipates playing catch every day to keep his arm in shape since it\u2019s a lower-body ailment.<\/p>\n

\u201cTalking to everybody, it\u2019s more of take it day by day and once it feels good, I\u2019ll let them know,\u201d Imanaga said through interpreter Edwin Stanberry.<\/p>\n

Doctors don\u2019t believe the hamstring strain directly correlates to the cramping he experienced during his previous start against the Pittsburgh Pirates that forced him to exit the game, Imanaga said, echoing his belief postgame Sunday.<\/p>\n

\u201cI try to prepare myself 100% for each start, and if you think about why the reason the injury was caused, there\u2019s probably so many different factors going on,\u201d Imanaga said. \u201cSo for me, it\u2019s just good to take time and kind of reflect on what I need to work on, if it\u2019s preparation before the game, and what kind of adjustments I need to make.\u201d<\/p>\n

He plans to check whether he needs to adjust how much he hydrates. Imanaga said he has always focused on his hydration level, even when pitching in Japan, estimating he drinks two liters a day and three liters on start days.<\/p>\n

Imanaga texted teammate Justin Steele on Tuesday morning since he went through the same injury last year when he attempted to field a ball on opening day. He plans to use Steele as a resource if something comes up during the rehab process that he has questions about. Steele missed roughly five weeks with his left hamstring injury, though manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday he doesn\u2019t believe the timelines for both pitchers will be the same.<\/p>\n

Once Imanaga is asymptomatic, the Cubs will have a better understanding of how long he might be out.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re two different individuals, the severity (within Grade 1) is different, so we\u2019ve got to take it case by case,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cThe tough part for Shota is he hasn\u2019t experienced lower-body injuries, so I think that\u2019s going to make us a little cautious, but we\u2019re just going to progress day by day for a while.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is Cade Horton \u2014 the Chicago Cubs\u2019 top pitching prospect \u2014 in the mix to replace Shota Imanaga in rotation?<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Cubs have still not yet decided on who will take Imanaga\u2019s turn in the rotation this weekend against the Mets in New York. If the Cubs opt to bring up top pitching prospect Cade Horton, the fact that he\u2019s hovered between 64-68 pitches in his last four starts at Triple-A Iowa wouldn\u2019t be a hindrance. Counsell called it \u201cnot a concern\u201d whether Horton is built up enough.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2018You\u2019ll see a lot of Triple-A or minor-league starters around that (75) number,\u201d Counsell said. \u201cOne, Cade is coming off a serious injury, and we\u2019re just in the first week of May. So that in a sense is absolutely the correct way to have him pitch his first month of the season. But if you\u2019ve thrown that number of starts with that number of pitches, you\u2019re capable of throwing more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Originally Published:

Shota Imanaga\u2019s recovery and rehab process will be measured in weeks, not days, as the Chicago Cubs cautiously handle the injury.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":53616,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1856,282,823,1854,80,117,1855],"class_list":["post-53615","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-cade-horton","tag-chicago-cubs","tag-craig-counsell","tag-justin-steele","tag-mlb-baseball","tag-shota-imanaga","tag-starting-rotation"],"yoast_head":"\nChicago Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga is \u2018thinking positively\u2019 after left hamstring strain diagnosis - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=53615\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Chicago Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga is \u2018thinking positively\u2019 after left hamstring strain diagnosis - 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