Concern mounts for Cubs' rotation after Imanaga's exit vs. Brewers

MILWAUKEE -- Shota Imanaga hustled off the mound and headed to first base in the sixth inning on Sunday, trying to record a much-needed out for the Cubs. A few moments later, the lefty walked off the field with an apparent leg injury, creating concern for a Chicago rotation that has already endured setbacks.

Imanaga grabbed at the back of his left leg after covering first on a fielder’s choice groundout off the bat of Milwaukee’s Christian Yelich. The runner was safe, paving the way for a four-run outburst for the Brewers that immediately followed Imanaga’s exit and sent Chicago to a 4-0 loss.

“Obviously, you don’t want that to happen to anyone,” Cubs right fielder Kyle Tucker said. “He’s had a really good year to start off this year. He’s been great for us for a while now. Obviously, we’d like to have him continue to go back out there.”

Imanaga was diagnosed with a left hamstring strain and is set to undergo imaging to determine the extent of the injury, per Cubs manager Craig Counsell. Until the team has all the information, Counsell was not ready to speculate about the likelihood of Imanaga landing on the injured list.

Last month, the Cubs lost rotation leader Justin Steele for the season due to left elbow surgery. One of the group’s steady performers over the past two years, righty Javier Assad, sustained a setback in his comeback from a left oblique strain and is currently shut down from throwing. Losing Imanaga for any length of time would be another blow for the staff.

Imanaga is currently in the rotation alongside Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, Ben Brown and Colin Rea (who moved out of the bullpen after the Steele injury and has pitched well). Options behind that group on the 40-man roster include veteran Chris Flexen (currently in the bullpen) and lefty Jordan Wicks (mixed results at Triple-A Iowa).

If Imanaga lands on the shelf, an intriguing possibility would be 23-year-old righty Cade Horton, who has been brilliant out of the chute with Triple-A Iowa. Horton is ranked No. 2 on Pipeline’s Top 30 list for the Cubs and No. 47 on the Top 100 list. His six-inning performance on Sunday for the I-Cubs gave him a 1.24 ERA with 33 strikeouts, 13 walks and 12 hits allowed in six outings (34 1/3 innings).

“We’re not even close to there, yet,” Counsell said of discussing Horton as a potential option.

In his previous start on Tuesday, Imanaga exited in the sixth inning against the Pirates due to what the team described as “leg cramps” in both quadriceps. The issue was not deemed serious and the 31-year-old lefty remained on his regular schedule to make the start on Sunday against the rival Brewers.

Imanaga said there were no issues in the lead-up to the outing in Milwaukee.

“This week, my body physically has felt really good,” Imanaga said via his interpreter, Edwin Stanberry. “Even before the game, I felt amazing. Hydration, everything included, felt great. So there was no sign for the back of my leg before the game or anything like that. So, I’m in shock.”

Opposite right-hander Freddy Peralta, Imanaga was in the midst of a strong performance before the latest leg injury flared. The Cubs’ lefty held Milwaukee’s lineup off the board for the first five innings, but a leadoff single to Jackson Chourio in the sixth sparked a rally. With one out, Imanaga issued a walk to William Contreras, setting up the battle with Yelich.

Yelich chopped a splitter from Imanaga to the right side of the infield, where first baseman Michael Busch gloved the grounder for a would-be double play. Shortstop Dansby Swanson received the throw and got the initial out at second, firing the ball back to first to Imanaga, who pulled up on the run before positioning himself at the bag.

Imanaga promptly motioned to the dugout and was soon on his way out of the game, following 5 2/3 innings. Milwaukee then struck for four runs against reliever Julian Merryweather to close the book on Imanaga’s line. The left-hander was charged with two runs in the outing, giving him a 2.82 ERA in his eight outings for the North Siders this season.

“He’s never had any lower-body muscle strains,” Counsell said. “So he’s a little unsure of what the feeling means. But, he felt something, for sure. So, we’ll just get it checked out [Monday] and go from there.”