The once-white-hot Chicago Cubs have been playing rather docile baseball as of late—they entered Thursday just 5-5 in their last 10 games.
However, they received some good news as a crucial piece of their collective puzzle returned Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cubs activated pitcher Shota Imanaga from the 15-day injured list and watched him pitch five shutout innings against the Cardinals.
Imanaga, 31, had been out since May 4 with a left hamstring strain. He is 3-2 on the season with a 2.83 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 44 2/3 innings.
To make room for Imanaga, Chicago designated pitcher Michael Fulmer for assignment. The 32-year-old has bounced around the big leagues since an excellent mid-2010s debut that saw him win the American League's Rookie of the Year award in 2016. He was named an All-Star with the Detroit Tigers in 2017.
The Cubs are currently 47-33; they lead the Milwaukee Brewers by 2.5 games in the National League Central Division.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Shota Imanaga Returns As Cubs Designate Former All-Star for Assignment.
