CHICAGO — Left-hander Shota Imanaga will rejoin the Chicago Cubs early next week in St. Louis following a sharp Triple-A rehab start Friday, manager Craig Counsell said Saturday.

Counsell wasn’t sure when Imanaga would be slotted into Chicago’s rotation but said before the Cubs’ game against the Seattle Mariners that the 31-year-old “is going to make his next start in the big leagues.”

Imanaga, who was 15-3 with a 2.91 ERA as a rookie last season, is coming back from a left hamstring strain. He got hurt covering first base during the sixth inning of a 4-0 loss at Milwaukee on May 4.

He is 3-2 with a 2.82 ERA in eight starts for the Cubs this season. His return is expected to provide a lift to the National League Central leaders, who entered Saturday 4½ games in front of the Brewers and Cardinals.

Imanaga tossed 4⅓ scoreless innings of two-hit ball for Triple-A Iowa at Nashville on Friday night. He struck out eight and walked two.

“Everything went great,” Counsell said. “Did what we hoped he would do. He’s in a position to be ready. So he’s going to join us in St. Louis and we’ll figure out the next steps.”

Before the transition to Iowa, Imanaga pitched six scoreless innings over two rehab starts in the Arizona Complex League. He had a bullpen session in Arizona last Tuesday.

Imanaga signed a four-year, $53 million contract with Chicago in January 2024. He often dazzled in 29 starts last season, making the NL All-Star team and finishing fourth in balloting for NL Rookie of the Year.

Also Saturday, the Cubs recalled right-hander Nate Pearson from Iowa and designated left-hander Génesis Cabrera for assignment.

Pearson is 3-1 with a 2.22 ERA in 19 appearances since he was optioned to Iowa on April 15.

Cabrera had an 8.68 ERA in nine games with the Cubs. He signed with Chicago on May 29 after being designated for assignment by the New York Mets.

NEW YORK — Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman was placed on the injured list Saturday for the first time in his career because of a strained left oblique.

Rutschman, 27, had an MRI on Saturday morning, and the Orioles announced the move about 15 minutes before their game against the New York Yankees.

“He’s been super durable, especially for a catcher,” Baltimore interim manager Tony Mansolino said. “Unfortunately, if he does, if this is a thing, he’s going to go, but hopefully it’s not too long.”

Rutschman had been in Baltimore’s original lineup Friday as the designated hitter before feeling pain during batting practice and being scratched. The Orioles recalled Maverick Handley, who will serve as the backup to Gary Sanchez until Rutschman returns.

Rutschman is hitting .227 with eight homers and 20 RBIs in 68 games this season. He has been among the more durable catchers in the majors. After playing 113 games following his debut in May 2022, he appeared in 154 games in 2023 and 148 last season.

Baltimore’s lineup took another hit when infielder Jordan Westburg exited Saturday’s game against the Yankees in the third inning after jamming his left index finger while stealing a base, despite wearing a protective glove. He was seen wincing afterward.

Westburg, who started at designated hitter, walked in the first inning and stole second during an at-bat by Gunnar Henderson. He was replaced in the third by rookie Coby Mayo.

Following Baltimore’s 9-0 loss, the team said X-rays were negative.

“Jammed his finger stealing second base,” Mansolino said. “Sprained, strained, something along those lines. Hoping it’s day-to-day right now. Nothing imminent with him. We feel like probably in a few days he’ll be OK, maybe earlier.”

The 26-year-old Westburg missed more than a month with a left hamstring strain before returning on June 10. He is hitting .229 with seven homers and 17 RBIs in 34 games this season.

“All I know is that there’s no fracture on the X-ray, so trying to stay optimistic in that sense,” Westburg said.

Westburg was an All-Star last season, when he batted .264 with 18 homers and 63 RBIs.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

MIAMI — The Atlanta Braves placed reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale on the 15-day injured list Saturday because of a fractured left rib cage.

“He was doing his exercises [Friday] and felt like something wasn’t right,” manager Brian Snitker said before the Braves’ 7-0 win Saturday against the Miami Marlins. “So they had him looked at, and it showed what it showed.”

In his previous start, against the New York Mets on Wednesday, Sale sprinted off the mound and made a diving stop of a grounder hit by Juan Soto and threw him out for the first out in the ninth. He then struck out Pete Alonso and was lifted after allowing a single to Brandon Nimmo.

“It’s just a freak thing. An unfortunate thing,” Snitker said. “I saw him after the game that night and he was doing his postgame workout. And then I saw him the next day and I think he maybe felt a little uncomfortable the next day. But then [Friday] is when he wanted to get it checked out.”

Sale is 5-4 and has a 2.52 ERA through 15 starts this season. The 36-year-old left-hander threw a season-high 116 pitches in 8⅔ innings against the Mets.

“It’s a tough blow for us and him,” Snitker said. “It was going so good. That’s a rough one.”

After six seasons with the Boston Red Sox, Sale was traded to the Braves in December 2023. Sale won the pitching Triple Crown in his first season in Atlanta, finishing with an NL high in wins (18) and strikeouts (225) and a league-low ERA of 2.38.

Snitker doesn’t have a timeline for when his star pitcher will return.

“With bones like that, they’ve got to heal before you can start the process, but I have no idea how long it will be,” he said.

The Braves are 35-40 and 10.5 games behind NL East-leading Philadelphia. They’ve won seven of eight, including a three-game series sweep against the Mets earlier this week.

In the corresponding move retroactive to Thursday, the Braves recalled left-handed pitcher Austin Cox from Triple-A Gwinnett.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.