Cubs put closer Craig Kimbrel on injured list; Willson Contreras will be out 4 weeks

The Cubs will put closer Craig Kimbrel on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation. The team recalled pitcher Duane Underwood.

And in more bad news, the Cubs estimate that catcher Willson Contreras will miss four weeks after seeing the results of an MRI on his strained hamstring.

The Cubs said they anticipate Kimbrel missing at least 10 days. Kimbrel had an MRI after he felt discomfort following his last outing, but that it was not serious.

He said he was sure he will be back in the minimum 10 days, and had the injury happened in September or October, he “absolutely” could pitch through it.

“I think when you look at the options of pushing through it or taking time to let it calm down, this made sense,” Kimbrel said.

He plans to keep throwing while sidelined and was at or near full-strength when the injury occurred.

“I was getting real close. I was feeling really good,” he said.

Contreras said he hopes to start jogging in a week or two. “I’ve got to be smart about it by the time I get back I’ll be 100 percent.”

“I’m disappointed with this injury because of the way I take care of my body,” he added, “it shouldn’t happen. ... But things happen for a reason.”

He said his injury is in same general area as his 2017 strain, just a little higher. “It’s going to be the same recovery, or even slower.”

“I wish this could happen a week before,” Contreras said. “[It] hHappened [three] days after Martin [Maldonado] got traded.”