The number one thing the Chicago Cubs will be looking for at the Major League Baseball trade deadline is starting pitching. They are already down Justin Steele for the season, but a reinforcement is on the way. Shota Imanaga is set to return to the big league rotation on Thursday for the series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals. Imanaga has been out since May 4th when he pulled his hamstring in a start against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Imanaga had a 2.82 ERA in his eight starts before going down with the injury. He was able to throw 72 pitches in his rehab start for the Iowa Cubs in Nashville on Friday night. The fact that he missed time with a leg injury and not an arm injury should mean that there will not be many limitations on him when he takes the mound on Thursday.

The next question will be who Imanaga replaces in the starting rotation. The most likely candidate is Colin Rea, who has cooled off after a hot start. Rea pitched to a 1.17 ERA through the month of April, but has seen the ERA pushed all the way up to 4.42 in the two months since. He has also struck out just 35 hitters in his 54.2 innings since the start of May. The Cubs could also use Imanaga’s return to give Matthew Boyd and/or Cade Horton some extra rest. Both guys have been good, but will have inning concerns as the season wears on.

Chicago kicks off their first series of the year against the Cardinals in St. Louis on Monday night.