Cubs' Kyle Hendricks: Looks like himself

Hendricks didn't factor into the decision Sunday against Pittsburgh, allowing one run on two hits and four walks across five innings. He struck out five.

Hendricks was placed on the IL on April 23 with a lower back strain, a move that followed an extremely uncharacteristic start to the season. Prior to the injury, Hendricks stumbled to a 12.00 ERA and a 2.10 WHIP with eight homers allowed across 21.0 innings. Considering Hendricks had allowed 28 combined home runs over 221.1 innings the past two seasons and owned a 3.54 career ERA before 2024, Sunday's start was much more in line with Hendricks' averages. While one solid start doesn't mean fantasy managers should expect the Hendricks of old moving forward, it's a positive sign amid a not-so-positive season for Hendricks. He's lined up for a rematch with the Pirates on Friday.