Cubs place starter Hendricks on IL with shoulder strain
The Cubs placed pitcher Kyle Hendricks on the 15-day injured list before Wednesday's game in Milwaukee with a right shoulder strain.
Hendricks lasted just 3 innings in his start Tuesday night, allowing 2 runs. At one point, manager David Ross went to the mound to ask if he was OK.
"Rossy knows me. So he knew. He could see it," Hendricks told reporters after the game. "There was no point in pushing. It's not something that's so bad that's going to get out of control. It's just not great. It's something we definitely want to get checked out and see what it's all about."
Last month, the Cubs gave Hendricks extra time off between starts to give his shoulder some rest, though he did not go on the injured list. There was a 13-game hiatus before he took the mound on June 14 against San Diego. On June 24, he threw more than 7 scoreless innings in a win at St. Louis.
Hendricks will get an MRI on the injured shoulder and is expected to be out until after the all-star break, at the very least.
To fill the roster spot, the Cubs recalled right-hander Anderson Espinoza from Double A Tennessee. He made his major-league debut against Milwaukee on May 30, throwing 4 innings. Espinoza was back on the major-league roster from June 4-7, but did not pitch in a game.
The Cubs announced Mark Leiter Jr. as the starter for Thursday's game in Los Angeles. Keegan Thompson will pitch Saturday at Dodger Stadium, followed by two TBAs.
Injury updates
More rehab stints are on the way. Second baseman Nick Madrigal (left groin strain) and pitcher Daniel Norris (left index finger strain) will join Iowa on Thursday. Frank Schwindel (back) is expected to start a rehab assignment with Iowa on Friday.
Pitchers Marcus Stroman (right shoulder inflammation) and Drew Smyly (right oblique strain), who each had a start in the minors, will throw bullpen sessions before determining when they're ready to join the Cubs rotation.
Catcher Willson Contreras was not in the lineup for the second straight day as he deals with hamstring soreness.
Futures department
Participants in the Futures Game will be announced Thursday on MLB TV. Chicago baseball insider Mark Gonzalez reported Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong is expected to be chosen for the minor-league all-star event in Los Angeles.
Outfielder Brennen Davis was MVP of last year's Futures Game, but he had back surgery and was sidelined early this season.
MLB Pipeline released an updated list of top 100 prospects and added a fourth Cubs minor-leaguer, outfielder Kevin Alcantara, who checked in at No. 99.
The Cubs got the 6-foot-6 Alcantara from the Yankees in the Anthony Rizzo trade last year. He's hitting .269 this season for Myrtle Beach.
The other Cubs in the rankings are Davis, who dropped to No. 30; shortstop Christian Hernandez at No. 69 and Crow-Armstrong at No. 80.
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