The Rundown Lite: PCA Has Perfect Vision, Imanaga Making AAA Start, Tucker Extension Talks Not Happening…Yet

I recently messed up my elbow opening a wax-sealed beer bottle and have to avoid lifting just about anything for quite a while. Meanwhile, my 70-year-old father — perhaps that’s a clue to my age for those who think I’m some punk kid (which I actually still kinda am) — complained to me last night that he’s only got 75% mobility back in the shoulder he had replaced A WEEK AGO. It was an outpatient procedure and he said he only needed Tylenol once the nerve block wore off.

This was his second such procedure after having the other one done a couple years ago, and both were of the reverse variety. His shoulders were both so trashed that this was really the only way to go, but that method appears to be growing in popularity due to the quick and nearly pain-free recovery. As someone who will probably need one before long, it’s nice to know a guinea pig.

My mom used to have those things as pets back in the day, and it seems to me they were much more popular back in the day than they are now. Same with hamsters and gerbils, though maybe I’m just not up on the prevalence of pocket pets. We used to have a hedgehog at one point, but it wasn’t the easiest thing to play with.

I’d have to say my favorite pet was our Boston Terrier, Dre, who loved popcorn and would sit at the base of my bed and whine until I patted for her to come up. She loved me the most and would nap in my duffel bag when I was home from college. Probably enough nostalgia for the day, huh?

PCA joins 20/20 club

Remember when it seemed like a stretch to say Pete Crow-Armstrong might eventually develop into a guy who could hit 25 home runs in a season? With his defense and speed, just getting 10-15 round-trippers a year seemed like a luxury. And yet, here he sits on June 20 with a chance to have 25 dingers before the All-Star Break. Add in 23 stolen bases and he just became the fastest and youngest Cub ever to join the 20/20 club.

His optometrist must be overjoyed.

Assuming 600 plate appearances, which is probably a little light, he’s on pace to become the Cubs’ first-ever 40/40 hitter. Even if the power ebbs a bit over the next few months, he’ll remain one of the most valuable players in the game due to his other tools. He’s currently the only NL player in the overall top five for fWAR (4.1), and could become the first Cub in nearly a quarter-century to post an 8-WAR season (Sammy Sosa, 2001). PCA’s breakout has a little hint of Ryne Sandberg in 1984, when he broke out with 8.0 fWAR and an MVP.

Please enjoy all 20 of PCA’s home runs this season.

(So far ?) pic.twitter.com/PfLgP1Dsfo

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) June 20, 2025

“It feels like we’re talking about him every day, which is incredible,” Jameson Taillon told reporters when asked about PCA’s latest accomplishment. “He’s doing something fun out there on the field every day. So, not super surprised. He’s fun to watch. He’s super talented. He works hard. But it’s really cool to see him just step into that role and become a star.”

It’s really too bad he went hitless over his first 19 plate appearances in 2023. Not sure he’ll ever be able to remove that scarlet letter.

Rotation help coming

Shota Imanaga will start Friday for the Iowa Cubs after making two rehab starts in the Arizona Complex League. Craig Counsell said Thursday that they would evaluate the lefty’s readiness after this outing, but it seems likely he’ll be activated for the next week’s series in St. Louis if all goes well. The bigger question is who will be bumped to make room. The Cubs won’t need to DFA anyone since Imanaga is just on the 15-day IL, but they will likely remove either Colin Rea or Ben Brown from the rotation.

Brown’s ERA looks quite a bit worse, but his expected stats tell a different story. He’s probably the better option moving forward, it’s just a matter of who the Cubs feel is best suited for the bullpen. I’d say Rea is better there, mainly because Brown’s struggles early in his outings would be magnified in a relief role. Either way, the Cubs are going to need to option or cut someone at that point.

Then there’s the matter of making room for Porter Hodge, Javier Assad, and Eli Morgan, all of whom could be back by the All-Star break. Hodge has appeared in two games for the I-Cubs over the last week and Morgan, who desperately needs a new picture on his MiLB.com profile, has pitched once at Triple-A after an ACL outing. Assad still has a ways to go there, but he and Morgan are both on the 60-day IL and will require roster spots when they’re activated.

Tucker talks pending

Our report back in April about the Cubs having extension talks with Kyle Tucker‘s camp ruffled some feathers at the time, but our information was solid and other outlets had similar things to say. That doesn’t mean any progress was made or that numbers were even exchanged, but the two sides have been in contact. Tucker’s agent, Casey Close with Excel, also reps Dansby Swanson and Jameson Taillon, so he and the Cubs are very familiar with one another.

Jed Hoyer acknowledged as much to ESPN 1000’s Kap and J. Hood on Wednesday, though he stayed the course when talking about the potential for a new deal. Has anyone else ever said that J. Hood looks kind of like E-40? Maybe Bizarre from D12? Anyway…

“I obviously would love that to be a long relationship,” Hoyer said. “But right now we’re playing the season and talking about any of these things — all I’ll say is we obviously love to have him and those are discussions that’ll happen at a later point.”

The Cubs are counting on summer in Chicago and a postseason run winning Tucker over, but I’m interested in how PCA’s ascendance plays into the whole thing. Tucker was overshadowed in Houston by a number of other players during his time there, and that’s happening again in Chicago. The question is whether he wants to get top billing as a superstar or would prefer to be a dynamic duo or even a sidekick of sorts. If it’s the latter, the Cubs have quite a strong pitch.

Enjoy the weekend, folks. I’ll be spending my time trying to avoid melting in the heat, which will be very difficult if I’m asked to help coach. We’ll be playing on a turf field, which will be unrelenting in temps expected to reach 94 on Sunday.