Hendricks will make Cubs season debut Thursday

Kyle Hendricks will make his return to the Cubs on Thursday against the Mets, manager David Ross announced.

The move was a bit of a surprise, because Jameson Taillon had been slated as Thursday's starter. The plan now is to move Taillon to Saturday against the Reds, with Justin Steele staying in his regular spot on Friday.

Hendricks last pitched for the Cubs on July 5, 2022 in Milwaukee, then went on the disabled list with a right shoulder strain. He made five rehab starts for Triple A Iowa. After two bad ones, he's had three solid outings in a row. Hendricks is the last remaining Cubs player from the 2016 World Series team.

"He was dealing with that (shoulder issue) for a while but continued to take the ball, knowing the space we were in," Ross said Tuesday. "The velocity, the pitch execution, all those things were just not where he wanted to be. I think part of his mentality is just to push through and he got a point where he couldn't anymore.

"He seems to be back healthy and we'll see how it goes. The way he carries himself, within the outing and also between starts, it's a nice face to see around the clubhouse. There's just a lot of positives to having him around."

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