Chicago Cubs: Assessing the North Siders’ injuries

Kyle Hendricks, 10-Day DL

Last season, Kyle Hendricks was one of the best pitches in baseball. At 26 years old, Hendricks recorded a 2.13 ERA with 170 strikeouts in 190 innings pitched. That outstanding effort propelled him to finish third in the NL Cy Young voting behind Max Scherzer and Jon Lester.

For Hendricks, 2017 has been a different story. In 11 starts, Hendricks has posted a 4.09 ERA with 51 strikeouts in 61 2/3 innings pitched.

Part of Hendricks’ struggles can be traced to tendinitis in his throwing hand that landed him on the DL on June 5. When Hendricks was first placed on the DL, many thought he would only be on the shelf about two weeks. In fact, in an article written by Chris Kuc and Mark Gonzales for the Chicago Tribune, Cubs’ President Theo Epstein was quoted as saying as much.

Now, it’s almost a month later and Hendricks is still on the mend. The reason for Hendricks’ extended stay on the DL can be traced to a setback suffered a week after he was placed on the DL.

This setback will likely cost the righty a month of action. After throwing pain-free this weekend, as reported by the Chicago Sun-Times, the Cubs could get Hendricks back right after the All-Star break.

Filling in for Hendricks during his DL stint has been Mike Montgomery. Montgomery has made four starts and recorded a 3.00 ERA with 19 strikeouts and eight walks in 21 innings pitched.