Amid right-hander Kyle Hendricks’ struggles to begin the season, the Cubs put him on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with what they identified as a lower-back strain.
‘‘We’ve got to get past an injury first and then put our heads together on a plan to get him pitching better, essentially,’’ manager Craig Counsell said before the game Tuesday against the Astros. ‘‘Obviously we, as he’s been going through this, [have been] trying to come up with ideas, and we’ll continue to do that.’’
Hendricks going to the IL was one of a series of moves as the Cubs opened a stretch of 16 games in as many days.
The Cubs also put left-handed reliever Drew Smyly (impingement in right hip) on the 15-day IL and designated first baseman/designated hitter Garrett Cooper for assignment. They recalled right-hander Hayden Wesneski, left-hander Luke Little and first-base prospect Matt Mervis from Triple-A Iowa.
Counsell said Hendricks reported back pain after his start Sunday against the Marlins, saying that he had felt it as he warmed up in the bullpen before the game and that it ‘‘creeped up a little more’’ as the start went on.
For the first time this season, Hendricks allowed fewer than five runs in an outing. But the progress was a minor consolation. He still allowed four runs and pitched only four innings, leaving his ERA at 12.00 through five starts.
Pitching situation
A common Counsell-ism when dismissing the importance of set roles is that the pitching puzzle comes down to getting 27 outs. Wesneski chuckled when he heard that’s how Counsell puts it in interview settings.
‘‘The exact same way,’’ he said of how Counsell has communicated with him. ‘‘He’s won a lot of games, so you can’t question it.’’
Hendricks landing on the IL brings up another round of rotation questions less than a week after right-hander Jameson Taillon was activated from the IL and inserted into the mix.
Wesneski and right-hander Ben Brown, who went to the bullpen when Taillon returned, have experience starting and relieving.
Brown had a bumpy season debut but since then had posted a 1.08 ERA going into play Tuesday. Wesneski limited the Diamondbacks to one hit in four scoreless innings in his season debut last week.
Smyly had been a multi-inning option out of the bullpen, but Counsell said he had been dealing with his hip issue since the series last week in Arizona, in which he pitched in every game.
Counsell was able to avoid using Smyly again until Sunday, when he allowed two runs in 2⅓ innings against the Marlins.
‘‘He thought he was good to pitch Sunday,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘And obviously he pitched Sunday, and I think he was effective. [But] he was pitching with [the injury] while he was out there.’’
Mervis for Cooper
Cooper was hitting a respectable .270 in a bench role that had him playing first base, DH-ing and pinch-hitting. But the Cubs
activated corner infielder Patrick Wisdom on Thursday, giving them two right-handed hitters in a similar role.
‘‘Then we’re entering a stretch [where] we’re going to face a lot of right-handed pitching,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘So we decided to bring a left-handed bat to be usable.’’
This is Mervis’ second major-league stint. He hit .167 in 90 at-bats last season.
‘‘How I’m going to get attacked [and] how pitchers expand based off of previous pitches in the at-bat and the series,’’ Mervis said of what he learned.
He also made mechanical changes during the offseason after seeing how rotational his swing was last season.
