CHICAGO (AP) — Shota Imanaga won’t start for the Chicago Cubs against Cincinnati on Sunday and finished his rookie season 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA in 29 starts.
The 31-year-old left-hander from Japan won’t pitch because the “risk-reward benefit was not there,” manager Craig Counsell said Saturday.
Imanaga struck out 174 and walked 28 in 173 1/3 innings. He was 6-0 with a 2.25 ERA in his last six starts.
“We really feel like we’ve covered the innings for the rest of the season, essentially,” Counsell said.
Imanaga also set a personal high for wins as a professional, besting a 13-7 mark with Yokohama in 2019.
