NEW YORK — The Cubs got some good injury news Monday, a nice change of pace for a team that has key contributors in all phases of the game on the injured list.
The Cubs are targeting ‘‘later this week’’ for right-hander Kyle Hendricks (strained lower back) to make his first rehab start since landing on the 15-day IL last week, manager Craig Counsell said. Hendricks progressed to throwing off a mound Saturday, and that phase of his rehab process has gone well.
During his rehab stint, Hendricks also will be working to address the mechanical, execution and pitch-usage issues that plagued his rough start to the season (12.00 ERA in five starts). How much headway he makes in those areas will factor into how long his rehab assignment lasts.
Left-hander Justin Steele, on the other hand, was throwing well when he strained his hamstring in his Opening Day start. Steele is set to throw 60 to 65 pitches in a rehab start Wednesday with Triple-A Iowa. After that, ‘‘it’s possible’’ his next start will be back with the Cubs, Counsell said.
‘‘We’re going to see how Wednesday goes,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘So Wednesday is a big day, for sure. And then we’ll make the plan after Wednesday, essentially.’’
On the other side of the ball, outfielder Seiya Suzuki (strained right oblique) joined the Cubs in New York after staying in Chicago for the Boston portion of the road trip. He has been ramping up baseball activities and went through what Counsell called some ‘‘harder workouts’’ Saturday and Sunday. Monday was a recovery day for him.
Counsell said it was ‘‘a little soon’’ to be talking about a rehab assignment for Suzuki.
‘‘We’ve got to clear some steps to point to a day there,’’ Counsell said.
Alternate history
The day after Counsell first met with president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer in November about the Cubs’ interest in hiring him, he flew to New York to interview with the Mets.
‘‘It went great,’’ Counsell said of that trip, sitting in the visitors’ dugout at Citi Field before facing the Mets for the first time since his managerial free agency. ‘‘I enjoyed it. I mean, [Mets president of baseball operations] David [Stearns] is a good friend. So I enjoyed spending time with him and learning about the organization.’’
Stearns headed the Brewers’ baseball-operations department for most of Counsell’s tenure as their manager.
Counsell, of course, ultimately chose the Cubs over the Mets, Guardians and Brewers, opening a new chapter in his career.
‘‘It turned out to be the right fit in Chicago,’’ he said.
Crow-Armstrong returns
Top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong came to the Cubs in a deadline trade with the Mets in 2021 for shortstop Javy Baez, right-hander Trevor Williams and cash.
On Monday, he faced the team that selected him in the first round of the 2020 draft for the first time in his career and went 0-for-3 in the Cubs’ 3-1 victory.
