It was a light day of MLB action on May 5 — but not on the injury front. The Cubs placed left-hander Shota Imanaga on the injured list after he left his start on May 4. The Mets, meanwhile, provided injury updates for A.J. Minter and Jesse Winker.
Cubs without Imanaga for near future
The Cubs are already without one of their co-aces. Now, Shota Imanaga landed on the IL with a hamstring strain.
It’s unknown who will replace Imanaga in the rotation. For now, Gavin Hollowell will replace Imanaga on the roster. When Imanaga’s turn comes up this coming weekend in Queens, Craig Counsell said the team has options, one of those being prospect Cade Horton.
Horton’s pitching well in the Minors and recently started in Iowa (AAA) on May 4, which would put him on turn this weekend.
Cole speaks after elbow surgery
Yankees ace Gerrit Cole underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this year after experiencing elbow issues. On May 5, Cole spoke to the media about the surgery & recovery and stated some interesting things about the process.
One, Cole stated he believes he’ll need 14 months between surgery and return, which would put him on track to return before the 2025 MLB All-Star break. Cole also said he had an internal brace
The righty also talked about how before the surgery, he had problems even moving his arm.
“I had trouble bending my elbow. I had trouble moving my arm the next day…so I had a pretty good feeling we were in some deep mud,” Cole said on May 5.
Updates on Mets’ injuries
Lefty reliever A.J. Minter will undergo season-ending surgery to repair his lat, the second left-handed Mets reliever to be shut down for 2025. Danny Young is done for 2025 after Tommy John surgery/recovery.
In other related news, Jesse Winker left the first game of the Mets’ doubleheader with right side discomfort and was scheduled for an MRI. Winker was diagnosed with a right oblique strain and placed on the IL. He’ll be out for six to eight weeks.
New York (NL) recalled Brett Baty to replace Winker.
Other injury news
Reds outfielder Tyler Callihan sustained a broken left forearm on May 5. Callihan extended out to catch a ball in left field at Truist Park but got his glove arm caught after making contact with the wall.
Houston placed Yordan Alvarez on the 10-day injured list with right hand inflammation. Alvarez last played on May 2.
The Twins activated Willi Castro and Royce Lewis, the latter of whom hasn’t played a regular-season game yet this season, on May 5 before their series against the Orioles. Infielders Edouard Julien and Mickey Gasper were optioned to St. Paul (AAA).
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