When Hayden Wesneski came into relieve Shota Imanaga against the Braves on Monday night, the Cubs all but confirmed that he had temporarily exited the rotation.

Wesneski had made three really nice starts against the Red Sox, Brewers, and Padres, combining for just 4 earned runs over 16.1 IP (2.20 ERA). But Hendricks’ success last season – and Wesneski’s ability to more easily/successfully transition back into relief -was probably the determining factor(s).

So with that, the Cubs have announced their upcoming starting probables through the weekend (per Taylor McGregor). Javier Assad will start tonight against the Braves in Atlanta, and here are the four starts facing the Pirates this weekend at Wrigley Field:

Thursday: Justin Steele, LHP
Friday: Kyle Hendricks, RHP
Saturday: Shota Imanaga, LHP
Sunday: Jameson Taillon, RHP

Generally speaking, I’m okay with Hendricks getting another shot after his best start of the season. Especially because right now, the Cubs bullpen can really use Hayden Wesneski (and Ben Brown). But like I said when we went over that outing in detail, I think his results were more encouraging than the actual, underlying performance – especially against the Pirates, who are literally the worst offense vs righties in MLB this season.

For me, there won’t really be a “problem” here until Jordan Wicks comes back. Because when he does, I absolutely want to see him in the rotation instead of Kyle Hendricks. And that becomes an issue seeing as you’re not bumping Javier Assad at this point, either.

But if we’ve learned anything this season, it’s that players get hurt all the time. Even Jameson Taillon, who’s now “back” in the rotation, had to take extra time between starts. So the Cubs can’t just ditch guys as soon as potentially better option pops up.

So we’ll see where this goes, but in the short term, Hendricks is in the rotation, Wesneski is in the bullpen, and Wicks is still working his way back.