The last remaining member of the Chicago Cubs’ 2016 World Series team is trending toward an ignominious end to his career at Wrigley Field.
Veteran starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks will be demoted to the bullpen after a terrible start, manager Craig Counsell told reporters Tuesday, via Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. Before Thursday, Hendricks’ usual rotation spot, the Cubs will play a bullpen game.
The writing is on the wall for Hendricks after his last start. You could at least look up his ERA. The eleven-year veteran’s rating rose to 10.57 after he allowed eight runs (seven earned) and eleven hits in a 9–3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Counsell didn’t sound enthusiastic about the idea of demoting Hendricks after that start, via The Athletic:
“We have to take a closer look at the start and see what’s going on,” Counsell said. “We are currently in a difficult process. There are eight pitchers on the injured list. We have to keep doing our best to help Kyle turn the corner. I think that’s going to be very important here. In the period we are in, we need innings.”
Hendricks will hit free agency after this season, during which he will make $16.5 million.
Hendricks currently leads MLB in earned runs allowed with 36 in just seven starts. The next three pitchers on the list — Reid Detmers, Aaron Civale and Miles Mikolas — have all made 10 starts.
The peripherals also do not show that Hendricks is really the victim of bad luck. His FIP is 6.93. His xERA is 6.22. Statcast says hitters should hit .316 against him. His 10.57 ERA and .362 batting average are more extreme than those numbers, but the whole package still seems like one of the worst starters in the MLB.
It’s a sudden decline for Hendricks, who for years has defied the speed-obsessed trend that increasingly dominates baseball. His average fastball velocity hasn’t topped 90 mph since 2016 (his 80 mph velocity this season is actually the highest mark in that span), but he’s still put together a solid career through command, deception and experienced knowledge.
That mix has failed him so far this season. The Cubs are probably hoping he will do better in the bullpen, as he will really come under fire when he faces hitters multiple times. He gets a .254/.302/.424 slash line when facing hitters the first time around, while those numbers jump to 377/.397/.672 the second time in the order and an astonishing .667/.720/ 1,222 on the third.
However this season plays out, Hendricks will remain a popular figure among Cubs fans in the long run, as will every key member of the 2016 team. Hendricks led the MLB with a 2.13 ERA that season and followed it up with a 2.13 ERA of 1.42 in the play-offs.
