Kyle Hendricks plans to be Cubs’ next impact acquisition in DL return

By Gordon Wittenmyer

ATLANTA — Right-hander Kyle Hendricks hadn’t been in the Cubs’ clubhouse since before the All-Star break until he arrived Tuesday after a brief minor-league rehab assignment.

‘‘It’s awesome to come in here,’’ he said. ‘‘You can feel the energy with all the guys.’’

Hendricks, who has been on the disabled list since June 5 with a finger injury on his pitching hand, joined a team that took a four-game winning streak into its rain-delayed game Tuesday against the Braves.

After watching the kind of impact recently acquired left-hander Jose Quintana made in his Cubs debut Sunday, Hendricks said he plans to be the same kind of ‘‘acquisition,’’ having the same kind of effect on the Cubs’ playoff run when he’s activated from the DL.

‘‘That’s the goal,’’ said Hendricks, who’s expected return to the rotation Monday or Tuesday against the White Sox at Wrigley Field. ‘‘It killed me, really, to go down [with the injury]. But that’s the thing you take from it, that hopefully you can get yourself ready and come back and have even more of an impact when you’re back.’’

Hendricks, the major-league ERA champ last season, retired all 15 batters he faced in his final rehab start Monday. He was so efficient that he threw another 12 pitches in the bullpen to reach his requisite 75.

‘‘It just felt right out there,’’ he said. ‘‘It felt mechanically right; my rhythm felt good. I executed many more pitches. Now I feel pretty confident.

‘‘Even before the [injury], I didn’t feel mechanically solid. But [Monday], that felt like it was it. My mechanics felt right. I was keeping my head more still and saw my pitches better. I felt a lot better and more like last year, more like just being in that zone.’’

Said manager Joe Maddon: ‘‘It’s almost like we’re going to have two acquisitions with Quintana and then with Kyle coming back. This time of year, to get two starting-pitching acquisitions is always a nice thing.’’

A rotation that struggled to a 4.66 ERA before the break had surged in the Cubs’ last three games. Jake Arrieta, Quintana and Jon Lester combined to produce a 0.87 ERA in 20‰ innings.

Arrieta, Lester and Quintana, in that order, will start for the Cubs against the Cardinals at home over the weekend.

‘‘It’s awesome to see,’’ said Hendricks, who is 4-3 with a 4.09 ERA this season. ‘‘Hopefully I can jump right in and not have any hiccups and just keep rolling with everything.’’

NOTES: Right-hander Eddie Butler was optioned to Class AAA Iowa to make room on the roster for right-hander John Lackey (foot), who was activated from the DL.

• Manager Joe Maddon changed his mind about giving catcher Willson Contreras a rest, putting him in the lineup for the first five games out of the break. Rookie Victor Caratini will start Wednesday, Maddon said.

That will give Contreras two days off in a row, thanks to a scheduled day off for the team Thursday.

• With Jose Quintana starting Sunday, he’ll miss the chance to pitch against his former Sox teammates next week.

Follow me on Twitter @GDubCub.

Email: gwittenmyer@suntimes.com