15-Day IL
Injury Hamstring
Est. Return 5/20/2025
2025 Stats
W-L
3-2
ERA
2.82
WHIP
1.10
K
34
SV
0
Rest-of-Season Projections
2025 Fantasy Outlook
When Imanaga and Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed in MLB last offseason, some considered Imanaga's stuff to be on par with, if not better than, fellow countryman Yamamoto's. However, Imanaga lagged in command while sporting a high home-run rate by Nippon Professional Baseball standards. To address both, the Cubs designed an apparatus to train Imanaga to throw his four-seamer up in the zone. His 1.4 HR/9 was high but palatable. His high riser also helped yield a low .264 BABIP while generating a high 17.6 percent swinging-strike rate. The biggest surprise was a scant 4.0 percent walk rate. A bloated 80.2 percent left on base mark fueled a 2.91 ERA, over half a run below expected. Even so, a mid-threes ERA with a strikeout rate around 25 percent plays in any format. Just don't pay for a repeat of last season's deflated ERA; a correction is likely on the way. Read Past Outlooks
Goes on IL with hamstring strain
The Cubs placed Imanaga (hamstring) on the 15-day injured list Monday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
ANALYSIS
Imanaga will hit the shelf after straining his left hamstring in his start during Sunday's loss to the Brewers. Though he underwent an MRI on Monday that confirmed the injury, the severity of the hamstring strain isn't known, making it uncertain whether Imanaga will have a chance at being ready to return from the IL when first eligible May 20. The Cubs haven't named an immediate replacement in the rotation for Imanaga, but Chris Flexen could be moved from the bullpen into a starting role, or prospect Cade Horton could be called up from Triple-A Iowa to fill the void.
Imanaga will hit the shelf after straining his left hamstring in his start during Sunday's loss to the Brewers. Though he underwent an MRI on Monday that confirmed the injury, the severity of the hamstring strain isn't known, making it uncertain whether Imanaga will have a chance at being ready to return from the IL when first eligible May 20. The Cubs haven't named an immediate replacement in the rotation for Imanaga, but Chris Flexen could be moved from the bullpen into a starting role, or prospect Cade Horton could be called up from Triple-A Iowa to fill the void.
Pitching Stats
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2025
2024
Minor League Game Log
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Pitching Appearances Breakdown
Average Pitch Count
87
Last 10 Games
87
Last 5 Games
88
How many pitches does Shota Imanaga generally throw?
1-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-90
91-100
101-110
111-120
121+
What part of the game does Shota Imanaga generally pitch?
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
Extra
% Games Reaching Innings Threshold
% Games By Number of Innings Pitched
Left/Right Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-14%
BAA vs LHP
2025
-32%
BAA vs LHP
| BAA | K | BB | H | HR | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023vs Left | .198 | 54 | 9 | 36 | 6 | |||
| Since 2023vs Right | .229 | 154 | 33 | 148 | 28 | |||
| 2025vs Left | .156 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 1 | |||
| 2025vs Right | .231 | 20 | 9 | 28 | 6 | |||
| 2024vs Left | .212 | 40 | 4 | 29 | 5 | |||
| 2024vs Right | .229 | 134 | 24 | 120 | 22 | |||
| 2023vs Left | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2023vs Right | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | |||||||
Home/Away Pitching Splits
Since 2023
-11%
ERA on Road
2025
-74%
ERA on Road
| ERA | WHIP | IP | K/9 | BB/9 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Since 2023Home | 3.05 | 0.97 | 118.0 | 9.6 | 1.4 | ||||
| Since 2023Away | 2.70 | 1.12 | 100.0 | 7.4 | 2.1 | ||||
| 2025Home | 4.50 | 1.14 | 22.0 | 6.5 | 2.9 | ||||
| 2025Away | 1.19 | 1.06 | 22.2 | 7.1 | 2.8 | ||||
| 2024Home | 2.72 | 0.93 | 96.0 | 10.3 | 1.1 | ||||
| 2024Away | 3.14 | 1.14 | 77.1 | 7.4 | 1.9 | ||||
| 2023Home | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| 2023Away | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| More Splits→ | View More Split Stats | ||||||||
Stat Review
How does Shota Imanaga compare to other starting pitchers?
This section compares his stats with all starting pitcher seasons from the previous three seasons (minimum 120 innings)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
* Exit Velocity, Barrels/BBE %, Balls Hit 95+ MPH %, and Spin Rate are benchmarked against 2019 data (min 120 IP). See here for more exit velocity/barrels stats plus an explanation of current limitations with that data set.
K/BB
2.43K/9
6.9BB/9
2.8HR/9
1.4Fastball
91.2 mphERA
2.82WHIP
1.10BABIP
.233GB/FB
0.57Left On Base
86.7%Exit Velocity
83.6 mphBarrels/BBE
8.8%Spin Rate
2060 rpmBalls Hit 95+ MPH
26.0%Swinging Strike
12.6%Advanced Pitching Stats
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Defensive Stats
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Stats Vs Today's Lineup
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Here are this week’s fantasy baseball rankings and pitcher targets. Find out which arms are rising and who to trust as you build winning fantasy baseball lineups.
Here are this week’s fantasy baseball rankings and pitcher targets. Find out which arms are rising and who to trust as you build winning fantasy baseball lineups.
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Imanaga is a 30-year-old lefthanded starting pitcher who was with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball since 2016. He was posted by his former club and is slated to make his MLB debut this season. Imanaga recorded a 2.80 ERA and 1.05 WHIP in 2023, fanning 174 in 148 innings. He throws a four-seam that's been reported between 92- and 94-mph, a slider, curveball, and split-finger changeup. The key to his success is fastball command and the effectiveness of his split-finger offering. Imanaga pitched for Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and was deemed to possess the best Stuff+ by the Athletics Eno Sarris. Imanaga's main concern is he carried a high home run rate, especially relative to some of the other pitchers coming to MLB from Japan. He'll be working in bigger parks, but also facing better hitters. Chances are, Imanaga's ability to keep the ball in the yard will drive his major league success. He's expected to fill a mid-rotation role but shouldn't be expected to make more than 25 or 26 starts as he transitions to his new environment.
More Fantasy News
MRI on hamstring on tap
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said after Sunday's 4-0 loss to the Brewers that Imanaga will undergo an MRI on his strained left hamstring before a determination is made regarding whether he'll be able to make his next start, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
ANALYSIS
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Dealing with hamstring strain
Imanaga was diagnosed with a left hamstring strain after being removed from Sunday's game against the Brewers, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
ANALYSIS
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Leaves start early Sunday
Imanaga was removed from his start Sunday against the Brewers midway through the sixth inning due to an apparent leg injury, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. He struck out four batters and was charged with two earned runs on four hits and one walk over 5.2 innings before departing.
ANALYSIS
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Expected to be fine for next start
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said that Imanaga (leg) feels "good" and was slated to have a "normal" in-between starts workout Wednesday, 670TheScore.com reports.
ANALYSIS
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Exits with trainer
Imanaga was removed from his start Tuesday against the Pirates due to leg cramps, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
ANALYSIS
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Excelling with rare splitter
According to Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune, Imanaga is one of only 16 left-handed starting pitchers to throw a splitter since 2008, with his 30.3 percent usage being the highest.
ANALYSIS
The left-hander has been one of the best pitchers in baseball through the first six-plus weeks of his MLB career with a 0.96 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 51:8 K:BB across 46.2 innings. Imanaga's four-seam fastball and splitter are the only two pitches he utilizes more than eight percent of the time, and the splitter has been particularly effective with a 46.3 percent whiff rate and average launch angle of two degrees. His fastball has also been dominant, as opposing batters are hitting just .184 against it.
The left-hander has been one of the best pitchers in baseball through the first six-plus weeks of his MLB career with a 0.96 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 51:8 K:BB across 46.2 innings. Imanaga's four-seam fastball and splitter are the only two pitches he utilizes more than eight percent of the time, and the splitter has been particularly effective with a 46.3 percent whiff rate and average launch angle of two degrees. His fastball has also been dominant, as opposing batters are hitting just .184 against it.