Cubs recap and notes

Cubs manager Craig Counsell acknowledged Sunday that Tucker‘s sprained right ring finger still isn’t 100 percent, Patrick Mooney of The Athletic reports.

Counsell noted that Tucker’s finger injury is “not bad,” but between rest Sunday and a team off day Monday, the skipper saw an opportunity to give Tucker “two days without swinging a bat.” Tucker suffered the finger sprain back on June 1, and he’s slashing a good-not-great .244/.380/.415 with only one home run in 13 games so far this month. The 28-year-old will be back in the lineup Tuesday as the Cubs host the Brewers.

Rea didn’t factor into the decision during Sunday’s extra-inning win over the Pirates, allowing two runs on four hits and one walk over six innings. He struck out four.

Both of the runs against Rea came in the first inning, when he allowed a single to three of his first four batters faced. However, the 34-year-old rebounded with five scoreless frames to notch his third quality start of the campaign and complete six innings for the first time since May 12. Rea has allowed four or more runs in three of his last five appearances and has yielded a home run in seven of his last nine. On the year, he has a 3.84 ERA and a 52:18 K:BB across 68 innings. He’s on track to face the Mariners his next time out.

Amaya looks to be in the process of ramping up again after a left oblique strain had kept him from throwing since May 24. The Cubs anticipate that Amaya will be able to return from the injured list prior to the All-Star break, though an exact target date may not come into focus until he heads out on a minor-league rehab assignment.

Pomeranz is scheduled to be re-evaluated Tuesday after he experienced back tightness following his relief appearance in Saturday’s 2-1 win over the Pirates, MLB.com reports.

Despite having his back flare up on him, Pomeranz turned in a scoreless inning en route to collecting his fourth hold of the season. After having not pitched in the majors since 2021, Pomeranz has quickly worked his way up the bullpen pecking order since getting a call-up from Triple-A Iowa in late April. The veteran southpaw has yet to allow an earned run and owns a 0.65 WHIP over 18.1 innings out of the Chicago bullpen this season, making his status worth tracking as the Cubs kick off a three-game series versus the Brewers on Tuesday.

Happ went 1-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday’s 3-2, 10-inning win over the Pirates. He also stole a base.

Happ did a little bit of everything from the leadoff spot to help lead the Cubs to another victory. The veteran now has four stolen bases this season in five attempts, so he’ll have to get going to reach last year’s total of 13 steals. Despite running a bit less, Happ remains a solid fantasy commodity due to his position atop a strong Chicago lineup and his well-rounded stat line.