Joe Maddon Has Positive News On Kyle Hendricks

Remember when the Chicago Cubs put Kyle Hendricks on the disabled list in early June and it wasn't really seen as a big deal at the time? Well, it's been nearly a month since that happened, but Cubs manager Joe Maddon finally has some good news on last year's ERA leader. Hendricks last started on June 4, against the St. Louis Cardinals, pitching only four innings in what resulted in a 7-6 Cubs win. Since then, Hendricks has been sidelined because of a hand injury. The team was hopeful he would miss the minimum amount of time, but there was a setback following his first throwing session after being placed on the DL. On Wednesday, Maddon went on 670 The Score and said Hendricks is nearly ready to return to action.

It's July, the Cubs are below .500, 3.5 games back in the division and just like every facet on the team the starting rotation has been disappointing. That includes Hendricks, who has a 4.09 ERA and 1.20 WHIP through his first 11 starts this year. However, Hendricks did appear to get back to his 2016 form from April 25 to May 24, during which he surrendered no more than two earned runs in six starts, going at least 5.1 innings in each outing. Yet, there was something good that came from the injury and that was the emergence of Mike Montgomery. He took Hendricks' spot and has pitched well, making six starts in June, with a 3.19 ERA during that stretch. Now, as good as the news of Hendricks being back after the All-Star break is, I don't think Maddon is planning to move John Lackey out of the rotation. Sad, I know. Montgomery should stay in, so the odd man out is most likely going to be Eddie Butler. He hasn't been very good either, but honestly I'd rather have him on the mound rather than Lackey. Of course, this problem could also be solved if the Cubs trade for a starting pitcher, so that Lackey and Butler can both be kicked to the curb.

What about Schwarber?

So, almost everyone was surprised that Kyle Schwarber wasn't back up with the Cubs on Tuesday, but it now looks like he'll be back for this weekend's series against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Ultimately, Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer will decide when Schwarber will return to the Cubs. In 10 games at Triple-A, Schwarber is batting .333, with four home runs and seven walks. He's also struck out 11 times. Yet, no official timetable has been set, or at least that's what Maddon said on Wednesday.

The Iowa Cubs finish up their series in Oklahoma on Thursday, before returning home on Friday.