Chicago Cubs Receive Cautionary Warning About Shota Imanaga

The Chicago Cubs have received a cautionary warning about star pitcher Shota Imanaga.

Jun 21, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga (18) throws the ball against the New York Mets during the first inning at Wrigley Field. / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

When the Chicago Cubs signed starting pitcher Shota Imanaga during the offseason, he was expected to be a solid move. No one expected what has ended up happening.

Imanaga has been one of the best pitchers in the National League so far this season. His last start against the New York Mets was rough and made his numbers look much less impressive, but his overall performance has been out of this world.

While he has been a rookie star for the Cubs, there are some concerns about him. He has been eating up a lot of innings.

As shared by Forbes, Imanaga could be on pace to pitch more than 200 innings. Other pitchers have been able to do that, but the wear and tear on an arm by pitching so much can be detrimental.

Forbes has suggested that Chicago could consider an innings limit to make sure that he stays healthy.

"It’s quite possible Shota Imanaga can easily pitch 200 innings. But at what cost to his physicality? The Cubs have to ask themselves if sending Imanaga out to make every start between now and the end of the season makes sense? Would it be more prudent to limit Imanaga a bit in the second half of the season?"

Those are legitimate questions that the Cubs will have to think about. The last thing they want to do is overwork Imanaga and see him go down with an injury that impacts his long-term outlook.

So far during the 2024 campaign, Imanaga has started 14 games. He has compiled a 7-2 record to go along with a 2.96 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP, and a 6.8 K/BB ratio. At 30 years old, he looks to be a potential ace for the Cubs if he continues on the path he has started.

At this point in time, Chicago is struggling to stay afloat in the Wild Card race. The Cubs hold a 37-44 record and have gone 10-22 in their last 32 games.

Being careful with Imanaga makes a lot of sense. The likelihood of competing this season is very low. Making sure that he's healthy for the future is extremely important.

All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what kind of approach manager Craig Counsell takes with his rookie pitcher. Imanaga provides Chicago with excitement for the future and they should heed this caution about the workload that he's been handling.