Cubs’ Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) to miss significant time

Kyle Hendricks will miss most of the remainder of the 2022 season due to a shoulder injury, though an MRI revealed no structural damage.

“It’ll be a little bit,” Chicago Cubs manager David Ross said. “It’s going to be a little bit of time to recover.”

Hendricks was on the 15-day injured list last week with a shoulder strain and is 2-3 weeks away from being allowed to play catch, per Ross.

That gives the Cubs ace a decent chance to return to the field before September.

“We’ll continue to get feedback,” Ross said. “He’s going to take a bit.”

Hendricks won’t be in game shape for a decent amount of time, whether he begins playing catch in the coming weeks or not. He’ll likely have to make multiple rehab starts while rebuilding his throwing program.

It’s all dependent on the timeline of his recovery, but there’s a chance that he can make a few more starts this season.

Hendricks previously noted he didn’t feel any discomfort in his four starts after his two-week break in June due to his nagging shoulder, nor in the warmups before the Cubs’ matchup against the Brewers on July 5. But the lingering pain crept back up while he was warming up in the first inning of that game until he exited after three innings.

Hendricks, in his ninth season, is 4-6 with a 4.80 ERA over 16 starts.