The Chicago Cubs are looking good so far in 2025. The franchise is trying to break a four-year playoff drought, and right now, they sit in first place in the National League Central. However, it hasn’t been all good news for the Cubs, as their ace Shota Imanaga has been dealing with a hamstring strain since early May.
The 31-year-old was on a shortlist of Cy Young contenders entering this season, and he’s lived up to that hype through eight starts. Imanaga is currently 3-2 with a stellar 2.82 ERA. Unfortunately, it will be a little while before the 2024 All-Star returns to action.
According to Cubs’ insider Taylor McGregor, manager Craig Counsell has confirmed Imanaga will begin throwing off a mound near the end of next week and is expected to return by sometime in the latter half of June. Chicago will, therefore, need to continue holding off a hot St. Louis Cardinals team before their ace returns.
The NL Central was always destined to be a thrilling race this season. Several teams expect to come away with the division crown, and there will surely be more than a few teams that take over first place before October. Cubs are primed to be near the top until the end, but that goal became a little more difficult. Once Imanaga returns, this team is a legitimate National League contender.
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