Chicago Cubs ace Shota Imanaga is poised to make his long-awaited return to the big-league rotation, possibly during an upcoming series against the division-rival St. Louis Cardinals. Though manager Craig Counsell stopped short of confirming a specific game, he made it clear the left-hander’s next appearance will be at the major league level. “He’s in a position to be ready, so he’s gonna join us in St. Louis and we’ll figure out the next steps,” Counsell said Saturday, via Marquee Sports Network.
Imanaga has been sidelined since May 4 with a left hamstring strain, but his rehab process has been methodical and encouraging. Over three outings, he’s steadily built up arm strength and command. He began his rehab in the Arizona Complex League on June 9, tossing two hitless innings with four strikeouts. A follow-up start on June 14 yielded four shutout innings, and on June 21, he delivered his strongest outing yet—striking out eight over 4.1 scoreless innings for Triple-A Iowa against the Nashville Sounds.
“Everything went great,” Counsell said of the latest rehab start. “Did what we hoped he would do.” Imanaga threw 72 pitches in that outing, suggesting he’s close to being fully stretched out and ready for a standard big-league workload. While Counsell didn’t guarantee Imanaga will pitch in the St. Louis series, the tone and timing suggest that’s the likely plan, possibly with a reshuffle of the current rotation.
The Cubs, surprisingly, have flourished in Imanaga’s absence. Since his injury, the team has posted a 25–16 record and expanded its NL Central lead from 3.0 to 4.5 games. Entering Sunday’s game against Seattle, the Cubs are 46–30—the best winning percentage in the National League and second in MLB behind only the Detroit Tigers (48–30). Still, the return of their Opening Day starter adds a major boost for the stretch run.
Imanaga had an electric start to the 2025 season before the injury. In eight outings, he posted a 2.82 ERA and was once again a key piece of the rotation after finishing fifth in NL Cy Young voting in 2024. His elite command and deceptive split-finger fastball helped stabilize the staff early in the year, and the Cubs are hoping he can regain that form quickly upon return.
The Cubs’ projected rotation for the upcoming series in St. Louis currently lists Ben Brown, Jameson Taillon, Matthew Boyd, and Cade Horton. However, with Imanaga rejoining the club on the road, those plans could shift to reinsert him into a meaningful spot—possibly Tuesday or Wednesday—against a key divisional opponent. His presence could be the difference-maker as the Cubs push to maintain their division lead into July.
