Cubs Rumors: Jon Lester to Be Placed on IL After Suffering Hamstring Injury

Chicago Cubs pitcher Jon Lester reportedly will be placed on the injured list with a strained hamstring, according to Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com. 

Lester left Monday's game with the injury after awkwardly sliding into home plate in the second inning. He tried to pitch through the hamstring issue but was removed by manager Joe Maddon after just three pitches in the top of the third.

"He did talk me into [leaving him in] because I'm really deferring to his veteranship right there," Maddon said of initially letting Lester start the third inning, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com. "It could've been a cramp—I don't know. But, watching him throw the next pitch, the next hit, I didn't like it at all. The worst scenario would've been to leave him out there, work through it, get hurt worse and then bring the bullpen in."

Lester said Monday he was still planning on making his next start, though Maddon course-corrected on Tuesday, saying the veteran pitcher could miss up to two starts:

Lester has kept his sense of humor about the injury, however:

The 35-year-old has gotten off to a strong start in the 2019 campaign, going 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 14 strikeouts in 14 innings across three starts. He's been one of the lone bright spots for a pitching staff that is currently 30th in ERA (6.70) and WHIP (1.90) and batting average against (.304).

In the process, the Cubs have limped to a 3-7 start, already putting them 4.5 games behind the NL Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers (8-3).

With Mike Montgomery also on the disabled list, Tyler Chatwood is the logical replacement for Lester while he's sidelined.