White Sox’s latest rebuild could use lessons from their last one. Plus: Cubs lose opener in St. Louis.
Sports Tuesday, June 24, 2025 | | |
| | | | | Good morning, Chicago. For the last seven weeks, the Cubs have navigated a rotation without their top two starting pitchers. While they won’t be getting Justin Steele back following season-ending elbow surgery, left-hander Shota Imanaga is slated to rejoin the rotation Thursday when the Cubs activate him from the injured list to start against the Cardinals to cap the teams’ first series of the year.
Imanaga had a 2.82 ERA in eight starts before landing on the IL and will give the Cubs a boost. Since Imanaga strained his left hamstring May 4, Cubs starters produced a 4.46 ERA, which includes the bulk outings by Ben Brown, Colin Rea and Cade Horton in the three games that had openers. It puts the
group on the edge of the bottom third in ERA during that stretch, and their total 1.9 fWAR is 24th among starters. Imanaga’s return means someone will get bumped out of the rotation, but manager Craig Counsell didn’t reveal who that might be, instead stating, “We’ll figure that out Thursday.” Stay connected with us all day: Sign up for our newsletters to get the latest news in your inbox. And you can follow us on social media: X, Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Not a Tribune subscriber? Here's our latest offer. | | | | Ben Brown surrendered four two-run home runs — all to left-handed hitters — in five-plus innings in the Chicago Cubs’ 8-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. | | | | | The Chicago White Sox are marginally better than last year’s team, which had 121 losses. But relatively speaking, things are looking brighter. | | | | | After two months of watching the NBA playoffs from the sidelines, the Chicago Bulls finally will be back in the action Wednesday with the No. 12 pick in the NBA draft. | | | | | By winning the NBA draft lottery, the Dallas Mavericks have a vision to sell of a potential superstar who could be the face of the franchise — as Luka Dončić was. | | | | | The Bears, Fire and White Sox are in the market for new homes, while the Blackhawks and Sky eye expanding their footprint in Chicago. | | | | | The former Neuqua Valley star is excited about working with Iowa offensive coordinator Tim Lester. | | | | | D. Wayne Lukas’ horses have been transferred to assistant trainer Sebastian “Bas” Nicholl, who has been part of Lukas’ team since 2002. | | | | | Tyrese Haliburton took the Indiana Pacers to heights few thought possible after they started this season with a 10-15 record. Getting back might take some time. | | | |
