Chicago Cubs News: Kyle Hendricks set to return on Thursday night

Class will be back in session for the Chicago Cubs and their fans on Thursday night as veteran starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks is set to be activated from the Injured List and make the start for the team against the New York Mets.

The expectation was that Hendricks would make his first appearance of the season for the Cubs this week but it appeared initially like he would make a start against the Cincinnati Reds over the weekend. Instead, Hendricks will get the nod on Thursday night and Jameson Taillon will get some extra rest before starting this weekend.

For Hendricks, this will be his first start at the Major League level for the Cubs since last July. Hendricks suffered a shoulder injury that ended his 2022 season prior to the All-Star break and has spent the past month on a rehab assignment with the Iowa Cubs.

Hendricks made five starts for the I-Cubs this season while posting a 5.75 ERA. The Cubs identified a mechanical flaw in Hendricks' delivery during his first two starts with Triple-A Iowa and he posted a 1.69 ERA over the course of the final three starts of his rehab assignment.

Hendricks is returning at an important time for the Cubs and their season. After the team has struggled over the course of the past month, the team is teetering on the line of being a contender for a post-season spot and entering another trade deadline season where they are expected to be sellers.

After the struggles of Taillon and rookie starting pitcher Hayden Weneski to begin the season, the goal is for Hendricks to provide some stability to the backend of the rotation while routinely being able to pitch between six or seven innings per start. If that can be accomplished, that will be a boost to the Cubs' pitching staff as a whole.

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