CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs placed left-hander Jordan Wicks on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a strained right oblique.
Manager Craig Counsell said Wicks has a Grade 2 strain.
"We're kind of like just seeing how that progresses, but he's going to miss some time here," Counsell said after Chicago's 5-1 victory over St. Louis.
Wicks departed Friday's 3-0 loss to the Cardinals in the second inning. He walked off the field with an athletic trainer after surrendering a two-out single to Dylan Carlson.
It was Wicks' first start and second appearance since returning from a strained left forearm. He was sidelined for six weeks.
Right-hander Keegan Thompson was recalled from Triple-A Iowa to replace Wicks on the roster. Thompson is 1-1 with a 4.97 ERA in nine relief appearances with the Cubs this year.
Wicks, 24, is 1-2 with a 4.18 ERA in seven games, six starts, with Chicago this season. He was a first-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft out of Kansas State.
With Wicks and Ben Brown sidelined by injuries, Kyle Hendricks likely will return to the rotation. Hendricks has pitched 8â…” scoreless innings across three relief appearances this month, but the 34-year-old is 0-4 with a 10.57 ERA in seven starts this season.
Right-hander Yency Almonte is nearing a rehab stint in the minors after he threw live batting practice in Arizona on Friday. The reliever is on the IL with a shoulder strain.
"We've got one more live scheduled that will happen, kind of at a place to be determined, on Monday or Tuesday," Counsell said, "and then he will go out for a rehab assignment."
Caleb Kilian (32 pitches) and Julian Merryweather (26 pitches) each had a bullpen session Friday. Kilian is coming back from a right shoulder strain, and Merryweather is on the IL with a rib stress fracture.
