Reliever Brandon Kintzler (pectoral) is expected to be activated Friday and be available when the Cubs open a series at the Pittsburgh Pirates, general manager Jed Hoyer said on the McNeil & Parkins Show on Thursday afternoon. Kintzler has been one of the Cubs' most reliable relievers with a 2.33 ERA in 49 appearances this season.
"We're glad we put him on the DL," Hoyer said. "He probably would've missed roughly half the DL stint and we would've had to pitch short-handed (if we didn't put him on the injured list). But he recovered pretty quickly from that pec strain, and he feels good."
Beyond him, closer Craig Kimbrel (knee) and setup man Steve Cishek (hip) both threw bullpen sessions Thursday and are "progressing well, feel good," Hoyer said. The Cubs could get Kimbrel and/or Cishek back at or near the start of a six-game homestand that begins against the Giants next Tuesday, Hoyer said.
Kimbrel has a 5.68 ERA and 1.66 WHIP in 14 appearances. He's 9-of-11 in save chances. Cishek has a 3.58 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 54 appearances this season.
"Progressing well" was also the term that Hoyer used to described catcher Willson Contreras' rehab from a strained right hamstring, but his return isn't imminent. Contreras' timeline for a return remains early September. Contreras is hitting .275 with 19 homers, 57 RBIs and an .890 OPS in 87 games.
"We want to make sure he doesn't reinjure it, but the progress is good," Hoyer said. "The rehab has been good. That's the one that's still probably a few weeks away."
In the most uncertain injury news of all, reliever Brandon Morrow threw live batting practice in Arizona on Wednesday. He's been sidelined all season after undergoing elbow surgery last November, and Morrow also underwent a procedure to decompress a nerve in late July.
"It went well," Hoyer said. "The question is always how he recovers and bounces back from that.
"He is working as hard as he can to get back."