Cubs make room for Shota Imanaga but someone had to go

Shota Imanaga is officially back with the Chicago Cubs ahead of his start against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday afternoon. The Cubs announced on Thursday morning that Imanaga has been activated off the IL, and to make room for the returning starting pitcher, Michael Fulmer was designated for assignment.

It was a short-lived return for Fulmer, who was recalled from Triple-A Iowa last weekend. Fulmer tossed three scoreless innings across two appearances out of the Cubs' bullpen over the last week. Given the success Fulmer had over the last week, and the fact he was a trusted relief pitcher by the end of the 2023 season, there was a sense that he could carve out a role in the Cubs' bullpen for the remainder of the season. That said, it was never a likely scenario.

Outside of Fulmer, the only other candidate for the corresponding roster move was Ryan Brasier. After opening the season on IL, Brasier has been excellent upon his return. In 12 appearances with the Cubs this season, Brasier has a 1.59 ERA.

Cubs make expected roster tweak to activate Shota Imanaga

Other than Brasier, given the success of Chris Flexen and Drew Pomeranz, the Cubs likely will hold onto the veterans for the remainder of the season. Similarly, despite some underlying metrics that remain concerning, it's too early for the Ryan Pressly experiment to be over, especially when he is getting results.

Imanaga's return comes at a time when the Cubs need a desperate boost to their starting rotation. After Ben Brown's demotion to Triple-A, Jameson Taillon continued his struggles with giving up the home-run ball this season. As the Cubs remain in the market for a starting pitcher, Imanaga is a welcome return to the top of their rotation.

Chances are, Imanaga will work with some form of a pitch count on Thursday. The weather will be extremely warm, likely putting Imanaga's pitch count around 80 pitches.

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