Kyle Hendricks and the Cubs Are in an Awkward Position Right Now

[Matthew Trueblood]

The Cubs' longest-tenured player last pitched on Aug. 5, and is not one of the team's probable starters this week in Cleveland. It's hard to forecast what's next for him, in a complex pitching picture for the resurgent Cubs.

Image courtesy of © Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

 

There was enough of a Kyle Hendricks rebound, last month, to justify keeping him around as the team floundered and trudged toward what had a chance to be a deadline sell-off. Hendricks was clearly the worst of the team's healthy starters at the time, but he deserves the organization's respect and loyalty, and there was no urgent need to move on from him; the team appeared not to be a contender.

Over the last few weeks, though, the team has found its gear. Jed Hoyer did trade reliever Mark Leiter Jr. at the deadline, but he also acquired Nate Pearson and made a major upgrade from Christopher Morel to Isaac Paredes at third base. They're still below .500, but only by a single game, and their weak remaining schedule makes it at least remotely plausible that they could reach the postseason, after all.

That puts Hoyer, Craig Counsell, and Hendricks in a bit of an awkward position. The team still doesn't have a surplus of healthy starters, but with a whole bunch of off days in this stretch of their calendar--they were off Thursday and Sunday, will be off again this Thursday and next Monday, and will have three straight Thursdays off heading into mid-September--they don't necessarily need to use all five of their arms each time through the rotation. This week, the team is skipping Hendricks's turn while they're in Cleveland, though it seems unlikely they'll move him fully to the bullpen. He could start this weekend against Toronto at Wrigley Field, ensuring that Shota Imanaga (who starts Monday night in Cleveland) won't have to work on four days' rest in order to stay in rotation. He could come back Sunday, if Hendricks pitches Friday or Saturday.

In the big picture, though, it's increasingly clear that the Cubs don't want to entrust a start that might help determine their playoff fortunes in Hendricks. Jordan Wicks is on a rehab assignment in Iowa. The team recently signed Adrian Houser to fill in as depth at Triple-A, too. Sadly, it feels like the watch has to be resumed. Hendricks isn't yet in imminent danger of losing his roster spot, but every appearance will be a kind of audition the rest of the way. For as long as the team remains on the fringes of playoff contention, Hendricks will be under constant evaluation, and the organization will be looking for ways to improve upon his spot at the back end of the starting rotation.

If the Cubs are to make the playoffs from here, they need to maximize their chances in every game. They know the chances of that are small, though, and won't want to risk the health of Justin Steele, Imanaga, or Jameson Taillon with very aggressive usage. Hendricks has value not only as a leader of the team and institutional memory of its fading glory, but as a source of potentially vital innings, even if they be steady but unspectacular. At the same time, the closer they get to contention, the more they'll feel pressure to try something else in his rotation spot. It's an uncomfortable paradox, and an unfortunately apropos microcosm of their season. Maybe, for both parties, there's still a chance to change the tenor of that season.

 

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