Shota Imanaga
Season: 2025
2025 Season Stats
ERA
3.82
W-L
9-9
IP
148.3
SO
123
WHIP
0.00
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39 articles
CHC •
about 1 month ago
If Matthew Boyd had made it out of the first on Saturday, maybe the Cubs would have pulled Imanaga after two tonight. Instead, they stuck with him and watched him give up his second homer of the game in the third. Dating back to Aug. 28, he’s given up 16 homers over 41 1/3 innings in eight starts.
CHC •
about 1 month ago
Cubs manager Craig Counsell made it official after the club’s decision to start lefty Matthew Boyd on short rest blew up in monumental fashion, leading to a blowout loss in Game 1 of the best-of-five series. Imanaga will attempt to even things up in Milwaukee after allowing two runs over four innings on Wednesday in his first playoff outing against the Padres. The 32-year-old southpaw figures to work deep into the contest to spare Chicago’s overworked bullpen.
Source: Maddie Lee
CHC •
about 1 month ago
Chicago’s decision to start lefty Matthew Boyd on short rest blew up in monumental fashion, leading to a blowout loss in Game 1 of the best-of-five series. Imanaga figures to play a considerable role in the Cubs’ pitching plan for Monday’s showdown, even if they elect to go with an opener. There should be an official announcement from Cubs manager Craig Counsell at some point before the weekend wraps up.
Source: Jesse Rogers
CHC •
about 2 months ago
Imanaga took over in the second inning after opener Andrew Kittredge coughed up a run in the opening frame. The 32-year-old lefty kept San Diego off the board until the fifth inning when Manny Machado connected for a two-run moonshot to left field. He struck out three and only issued two walks, needing 67 pitches (46 strikes) to navigate four frames. He would likely take the ball early next week in the NLDS should the Cubs eliminate the Padres.
CHC •
about 2 months ago
Imanaga gave up nine hits, walked one and struck out three. The 32-year-old left-hander hadn’t allowed more than three runs in a start since July 25 against the White Sox, a span of 10 starts. Imanaga finishes the 2025 campaign with a 9-8 record, 3.73 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 117 strikeouts in 144 2/3 innings. He’ll be highly sought after as a WHIP-master in 2026 fantasy drafts.
CHC •
about 2 months ago
Imanaga allowed just four hits, but three of those were homers, bringing his season total to 29 surrendered in 134 innings. That’s two more than he allowed in 173 1/3 innings in his first year with the Cubs. That his velocity, strikeout rate and groundball rate are all down some from last year doesn’t bode very well going forward. He’ll face either the Mets on Thursday or the Cardinals on Friday in his final regular-season start.
CHC •
2 months ago
On the plus side for fantasy managers, Imanaga piled up nine strikeouts on the afternoon and didn’t walk a batter. The Rays got to him for two runs in the opening inning on solo blasts from Yandy Diaz and Junior Caminero. They then scratched out a run in the third inning on a bunt RBI single by Josh Lowe. Imanaga got 19 swings and misses on 91 pitches on the day — 12 on his sweeper — while posting a strong CSW of 34 percent. He’ll try to get back in the win column as he brings a 3.29 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and a 110/23 K/BB ratio (134 innings) into Friday’s matchup against the Reds in Cincinnati.
CHC •
2 months ago
Atlanta jumped all over Imanaga in the opening frame as Ozzie Albies connected for a solo homer before Drake Baldwin and Ronald Acuña Jr. came through with run-scoring hits of their own. The 32-year-old southpaw settled in nicely afterwards, but the early damage was enough to saddle him with a loss as he was out-dueled by opposing starter Bryce Elder. He finished with four strikeouts and didn’t hand out a free pass. He’ll carry a solid 3.21 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 101/23 K/BB ratio across 129 innings over 22 starts into a favorable home outing on Sunday against the Rays.
CHC •
3 months ago
Imanaga struck out two batters on the night while allowing only one free pass. Most of the damage done against him came via the long ball, with Ozzie Albies belting a solo homer in the fourth and Eli White doing the same in the fifth inning. The 32-year-old left-hander got nine swings and misses on 78 pitches on the evening, posting a CSW of 24 percent. Now 9-6 on the season, he’ll tote a 3.15 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and a 97/23 K/BB ratio (123 innings) into a rematch against the Braves in Atlanta on Monday night.
CHC •
3 months ago
The 31-year-old southpaw struck out five batters on the day while issuing one base on balls. All of the scoring done against him came on home runs by Willy Adames — a two-run blast in the opening inning and a game-tying solo shot in the sixth. Imanaga generated 11 swings and misses on 92 pitches on the night — nine of them on his splitter — while registering a CSW of 29 percent. He’ll carry an impressive 3.08 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and a 95/22 K/BB ratio (117 innings) into Tuesday’s battle against the Braves.
CHC •
3 months ago
Imanaga worked into the seventh for the fourth consecutive start but was ultimately saddled with a loss due to a second-inning homer off the bat of Brice Turang, which accounted for all the damage against him. He finished with five strikeouts and only issued two walks. He’ll carry a sparkling 3.03 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 90/21 K/BB ratio across 110 innings (19 starts) into a road tilt next Thursday against the Giants at Oracle Park.
CHC •
3 months ago
Imanaga had retired the first ten Pirates batters until Tommy Pham took him deep for a solo homer in the fourth inning. He tossed three more scoreless frames, scattering two more hits and two walks while striking out six batters. With only one run of support, Imanaga would settle for a no-decision. The 31-year-old left-hander will take a 3.06 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and an 85/19 K/BB ratio across 103 innings into a start against the Brewers in Chicago on Thursday.
CHC •
3 months ago
Imanaga racked up nine strikeouts on the evening and didn’t walk a batter. He served up a two-run homer to Pedro Pages in the third inning and then kept the Cardinals at bay until Nolan Gorman’s two-out RBI single in the seventh broke a 2-2 tie and chased Imanaga from the game. He got 11 swings and misses on 92 pitches on the evening — six on his fastball — while registering a strong CSW of 33 percent. Imanaga has been brilliant through his first 17 starts, posting a 3.19 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and a 79/17 K/BB ratio across 96 innings. He’ll take on the Pirates his next time out at home on Saturday.
CHC •
3 months ago
The 31-year-old southpaw struck out seven batters on the night and didn’t allow a single base on balls. The lone blemish on his day came on an RBI single off the bat of Spencer Steer in the fifth inning. He exited with the score tied at 1-1 in the seventh inning, then the Cubs’ bullpen came on and gave up four runs before the inning would end. Imanaga generated 15 swings and misses on 92 pitches on the night — seven of them on his fastball — while posting a CSW of 28 percent. For the season, he now boasts a 3.12 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and a 70/17 K/BB ratio over 89 1/3 innings through his first 16 starts. He’ll look to get back in the win column when he takes on the Blue Jays in Toronto on Tuesday.
CHC •
4 months ago
William Contreras took him deep twice, but Imanaga was fine otherwise. He walked none and set a new season high with the K total. He’s 8-4 with a 3.25 ERA ahead of a start against the Reds next week.
CHC •
4 months ago
Imanaga gave up 12 hits, walked none and struck out two. While it was pretty easily his worst start of the year, it was also the third time Imanaga had allowed three home runs in a game including the second time this month. His ERA ballooned from 2.40 to 3.12. Imanaga has a 55/17 K/BB ratio in 78 inning this year. He’s lined up to face the Brewers on the road next week.
CHC •
4 months ago
Imanaga struck out five and walked one before former Red Sox relievers Brad Keller and Ryan Brasier finished up. His splitter was huge tonight; he got 10 whiffs on 27 pitches, and the hardest of the seven the Red Sox put in play was hit just 84 mph. Even though his strikeout rate is far down from last season, Imanaga is 7-3 with a 2.40 ERA through 13 starts. He’ll get the White Sox next.
CHC •
4 months ago
Imanaga was tremendous in this one, walking just one batter and striking out six while needing 91 pitches to get through seven innings. His splitter and sweeper combined for eight whiffs on 23 swings (34.7 percent whiff rate) while posting a 27 percent CSW on the day. The left-hander has been great when healthy for Chicago this season and will take a 2.65 ERA into the break. He’s a fantasy ace.
CHC •
4 months ago
Imanaga struck out just one and was hit incredibly hard tonight — his average exit velocity against on 22 balls in play was 96.9 mph — so that he ceded just two runs was pretty impressive. Fortunately, the five balls he gave up in excess of 106 mph turned into just a double, two singles and two outs. He also didn’t walk anyone. The loss leaves him 5-3 with a 2.80 ERA. He’ll make his next start Sunday against the Yankees in the Bronx.
CHC •
5 months ago
It looked like this game could get ugly quickly for Imanaga after the Guardians launched three home runs before he could get out of the third inning. Yet, in classic Imanaga fashion, all three were solo shots and were the only hits of the game to that point. All three also came on fastballs right smack dab in the heart of the plate. It’s important to note that he was pulled with just 81 pitches before Carlos Santana came to the plate for the third time. While that’s likely partially due to the Cubs being careful with Imanaga in just his second start back after missing more than seven weeks with a hamstring strain, he only threw more than 90 pitches three total times before the injury. Keep an eye on his workload next time out against the Twins.
CHC •
5 months ago
Imanaga allowed just two hard-hit balls, both coming on the six sweepers he threw this afternoon. His 46 fastballs produced five outs and 27 strikes, with 19 of those coming on foul balls, and he struck out three. Imanaga, who had been out since early May with a hamstring strain, moved to 4-2 with a 2.54 ERA on the season. He’ll face the Guardians next time out.
CHC •
5 months ago
The plan was announced days ago, but the move is now official. Imanaga had continued to throw while rehabbing his hamstring injury and looked good in his lone Triple-A rehab start, so he should be active in fantasy lineups for his return start Thursday against the Cardinals.
CHC •
5 months ago
Cubs manager Craig Counsell made it official that Imanaga will take the ball for Thursday’s series finale at Busch Stadium. The 31-year-old upper-echelon fantasy starter has been out since late April recovering from a hamstring strain. He struck out eight over 4 1/3 shutout frames last Friday in his final minor league rehab start for Triple-A Iowa.
Source: Maddie Lee
CHC •
5 months ago
Imanaga struck out eight over 4 1/3 scoreless innings on Friday in his final minor league rehab start for Triple-A Iowa following a pair of outings in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. The 31-year-old fantasy ace will take the ball at some point, most likely Thursday’s finale, during Chicago’s four-game series against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. He’s been on the shelf since late April working his way back from a hamstring strain.
Source: Vinnie Duber
CHC •
5 months ago
The 31-year-old southpaw punched out eight batters on the night while allowing two hits and a pair of walks. He fired 50 of his 72 total pitches for strikes in the contest. It’s extremely unlikely that the Cubs see his work in this one and come to the conclusion that he isn’t ready to rejoin the big league rotation. Expect him back at some point next week.
Source: Tommy Birch
CHC •
5 months ago
Imanaga will throw a bullpen session this week before facing some higher level minor league competition in what figures to be his final rehab outing. The 31-year-old lefty has made a pair of starts already in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. He figures to rejoin Chicago’s rotation by the end of June.
Source: Taylor McGregor
CHC •
5 months ago
Imanaga threw 44 pitches during Saturday’s rehab outing before getting in some additional work in the bullpen afterwards. The 31-year-old southpaw figures to be ready to rejoin Chicago’s rotation at some point in the coming weeks before the end of June.
Source: Andy Martínez
CHC •
5 months ago
Imanaga struck out four over two scoreless innings on Monday in his first rehab outing in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League. The 31-year-old southpaw is working his way back from a hamstring strain and will likely need a couple additional tune-up outings before returning to Chicago’s rotation. There’s a decent chance he’s back before the end of June or early July.
Source: Taylor McGregor
CHC •
5 months ago
Imanage threw a 37-pitch bullpen session on Saturday without any issues and will progress to facing minor league hitters early next week as he starts building back up his pitch count and stamina. The 31-year-old southpaw, who has been out since early May with a left hamstring strain, will require a handful of minor league rehab starts before returning to Chicago’s rotation, but he figures to be ready at some point in late June.
Source: Taylor McGregor
CHC •
5 months ago
Imanage threw a 37-pitch bullpen session on Saturday without any issues and will progress to facing minor league hitters early next week as he starts building back up his pitch count and stamina. The 31-year-old southpaw, who has been out since early May with a left hamstring strain, will require a handful of minor league rehab starts before returning to Chicago’s rotation, but he figures to be ready at some point in late June.
Source: Taylor McGregor