Chicago Cubs Manager Craig Counsell said Shota Imanaga completed a clean outing in a rehab start for the Arizona Complex League yesterday.
According to Counsell, Imanaga threw 26 pitches in what he described as "relatively clean" innings before tossing another 15 pitches in the bullpen.
During a radio hit on 670 The Score on Tuesday, Counsell also said Imanaga will need at least two more starts before coming back to the majors. As long as those outings go well, Imanaga could be set to return by the last week of June to help relieve the Cubs' starting rotation. Imanaga has been on the shelf since he tweaked his hamstring in a start against the Milwaukee Brewers on May 4th.
Although Colin Rea has been fairly good in his absence, with a 3.59 ERA in 13 games this year, Imanaga is the ace of this Cubs' team, and they need him back as soon as he is ready. I don't expect to see the Japanese-born pitcher going 6+ innings right from the jump, but he needs to start ramping up so he can return to that inning-eating form for the summer months as the Cubs look to gain more ground in the division.
How will the Cubs address the roster when Imanaga returns?
Rookie Cade Horton is likely going to be optioned back to Triple-A Iowa when Imanaga returns to the rotation. This has little to do with Horton's performance since he has looked fairly capable of handling a big-league rotation spot through six appearances.
This will be a move out of necessity since Horton is the only starter/long reliever with minor league options on his contract. Chris Flexen, who sports a 0.00 ERA in 16.1 innings pitched this year, cannot be optioned after the Cubs added him to the active roster at the end of April. Rea is signed to a major league contract and cannot be sent to the minors, leaving Horton the only logical option. Plus it would be hard to justify designating Flexen for assignment as long as he continues pitching well.
