Cubs excited for return of Shota Imanaga in finale vs. Cards

Left-hander Shota Imanaga will make a timely return to the Chicago Cubs' rotation on Thursday afternoon.

The Cubs have lost five of their last seven contests entering the finale of a four-game road series against the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals won 8-2 on Monday and 8-7 the next day before falling 8-0 on Wednesday night.

Imanaga (3-2, 2.82 ERA) has been sidelined since suffering a hamstring strain on May 4. Before getting hurt, he allowed two runs or less in six of his eight starts.

Chicago starting pitcher Jameson Taillon checked out Imanaga's final minor league rehab start on Friday and liked what he saw.

"From watching his outing, he's right," Taillon told MLB.com. "I think we're going to get a really good version of Shota back, which is super exciting, because he's one of the best pitchers in baseball."

Cubs pitching coach Tommy Hottovy noted that Imanaga likely will need some time to settle back into the majors.

"There's going to be things that Shota needs to continue to work on as he's coming back," Hottovy told MLB.com. "But just getting him back and having him back with the group of guys, what he brings to the table and just that consistent person he is, too, it's awesome."

Imanaga is 1-0 with a 3.29 ERA against St. Louis in his career.

Looking to improve their production against left-handed pitching, the Cardinals claimed right-handed utility player Garrett Hampson off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds in time for the last two games of this series.

Hampson started on center field Wednesday, batting ninth. He best season came in 2023, when he hit .276 with a .729 OPS for the Miami Marlins. He hit 11 homers and stole 17 bases for the Colorado Rockies in 2021.

"He causes a lot of problems on the bases, and that's really good for us," said Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado, who played with Hampson in Colorado. "When he's on the bases, pitchers know about it. They get a little concerned."

Outfielder Jordan Walker normally would play against left-handed pitchers but is sidelined with appendicitis. Walker landed on the 10-day IL, and infielder Jose Fermin arrived from Triple-A Memphis to replace him.

"Pretty quick recovery, but he's still going to be down for four or five days," Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said of Walker. "It made sense to rest it and then build up again. It's not going to be an extended period."

The Cardinals pushed right-hander Andre Pallante (5-3. 4.48 ERA) back a day to start Thursday with additional rest. Pallante is coming off one of his best starts of the season after he blanked the Reds for six innings on just three hits on Friday in a 6-1 victory.

Pallante is 0-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 10 career appearances against the Cubs, including three starts.