Veteran Cubs pitcher Hendricks to make rehab start Thursday in Iowa
Kyle Hendricks' rehab from a capsular tear in his right shoulder will take another important step Thursday when the Cubs pitcher makes a rehab start for Triple-A Iowa.
Hendricks is expected to throw 4 innings or "60-ish pitches," according to Cubs manager David Ross.
Hendricks has been working on improving his velocity and has "touched" 90 mph at times.
"He's felt great about that," Ross said. "I don't think he's ever gonna be the guy that throws 95, right? But when he's been at his best, he's got a 9 in front of that miles per hour (number). That just separates the deception (between pitches)."
Hendricks (4-6, 4.80 ERA in 16 starts) missed the last three months of 2022 and didn't begin a throwing program until Dec. 1. Ideally, the 33-year-old will get multiple rehab starts, but Ross admitted it's a fluid situation.
"It's exciting from my standpoint because I know how good he can be and what kind of a staple he can be in a rotation when he's right," Ross said. "So the focus has been just getting him back (to 100% healthy). It's been nice to have a fairly healthy rotation so far and some guys pitching well.
"There's not this sense of urgency to rush anything."
Full of confidence:
Last season, manager David Ross had an easy time deciding who would pitch the ninth inning when the Cubs were protecting a lead. It was David Robertson time after time after time.
While Ross hasn't named a closer this season, all of Michael Fulmer's 10 appearances have come in the eighth or ninth. The results, however, have been rough, as Fulmer has yielded at least 1 run in four of his last seven outings. He's allowed 9 runs on 11 hits and walked three in 6 innings over that time.
Asked if he would insert Fulmer into a low-leverage situation to try to restore the veteran's confidence, Ross said: "I trust Michael. He's working on some things. We had a long conversation today. He's identified some areas where he got off track.
"I'll use the bullpen ... how the game plays out. I don't go in with a preset, 'This guy's finishing today and this guy's not.' "
Sticker time:
After Seiya Suzuki made a nice running catch near the wall off a ball hit by San Diego's Xander Bogaerts in the fourth inning Tuesday, the right fielder signaled to Cubs manager David Ross.
So what was that all about?
"I talked to him before the game about trying to put some stickers on his helmet like football players get for great plays," Ross said. "And he was pointing at his hat after he caught that one. ... I'm gonna work on that helmet for him. See if we can't start getting some little Cubs on that thing."
Around the horn:
The Cubs placed CF Cody Bellinger on the paternity leave list and recalled Nelson Velazquez from Triple-A Iowa. Bellinger's girlfriend gave birth to a girl Sunday night. Velazquez, who hit a go-ahead, third-inning grand slam against Seattle on April 15, batted ninth and went 1-for-3 with a walk against the Padres on Tuesday. ... The Cubs tossed their fifth shutout of the season, which ties a franchise record for most through 22 games (last time was 1969).