Cubs Right-Hander Hendricks Throws Off Mound For First Time Since July
Chicago Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks threw 10 fastballs in a bullpen session on Friday.
It was Hendricks’ first time throwing off a mound since July 5, when he injured his shoulder in Milwaukee.
Yan Gomes caught Hendricks’ pitches and came away impressed.
“He knows me, he knows what to expect,” Hendricks told reporters. “And he told me right away, ‘Man, that’s you.’ Action was good, angle, at the bottom of the zone, throwing strikes, over the plate. So really I couldn’t ask for any more out of today.”
Hendricks will not be ready by Opening Day while recovering from a capsular tear in his right shoulder that sidelined him for the last three months of the 2022 season.
Hendricks said that he’s scheduled for two more of these brief bullpens before ramping up his work to a full bullpen.
For now, the progress is solid.
“My arm path, it was quicker, it was moving,” Hendricks said. “Obviously I was moving pretty slow, just with the touch-and-feel. But everything in my body was just in sync, everything was moving faster. So when I start getting after it more and getting to a full bullpen, that should translate even more.”
Hendricks went 4-6 with a 4.80 ERA in 16 starts last season. Hendricks is 87-61 with a 3.46 ERA in his nine-year career.
The Cubs open the season March 30 at Wrigley Field against the Brewers.
More From SI's Inside The Cubs
- Could Mike Trout Request a Trade to the Chicago Cubs?
- Did David Robertson Net the Cubs a Future Star in Ben Brown?
- Hoerner is the Cubs Shortstop of the Future
- Cubs Could Give Canario a Shot in September
- Could the Cubs Land Trea Turner in the Offseason?
- Chicago Cubs Have a New Top Prospect in Their Rankings
- Is This Top Cubs Prospect Destined for the Mound at Wrigley?
- Steele Offers Glimpse Into Future of Cubs Rotation
- Do the Chicago Cubs Have the National League's Best Bullpen?
- Can Christopher Morel be a Long-Term Solution in Center Field
Make sure to follow Inside the Cubs on Twitter!
