Year 11 in the majors will be different for Kyle Hendricks in one huge way: It’s his first season as a father.

Hendricks and his wife, Emma, welcomed a son, Luca, into their family in November. It was in the middle of an offseason where the Cubs exercised their $16.5 million team option on the veteran right-hander.

Not only is Hendricks entering his final season under contract (he will be a free agent at the end of 2024) but he will navigate the year as a father for the first time.

“Your perspective, your mind changes,” Hendricks said. “In a way, it makes you so much more present. You’re not gonna remember much and you can’t plan for much of anything. So you really just gotta be in the moment.

“And that’s the hardest thing to do in the game of baseball. Something we’re always striving to be is present, be where we are. And [being a dad is] just helping me do that a lot more. Soak in all these little moments and enjoy the time, too. Enjoy the time that I have here in this amazing organization.”

This will be Hendricks’ 12th full season in the Cubs organization after being acquired from the Texas Rangers in the Ryan Dempster deal in July 2012.

In some ways, it will be a full-circle moment on Saturday when Hendricks takes the ball to face the team that drafted him in the 8th round in 2011. It will be the first time he’s ever pitched against the Rangers in Texas (he faced them at Wrigley in July 2016).

Saturday could also represent a new beginning of sorts for Hendricks, who has not been able to find consistency the last few years for myriad reasons. Obviously there was the pandemic-shortened season in 2020 but in the following year, Hendricks dealt with ups and downs personally on the field and off it, watched as a bunch of his championship-winning teammates were traded away at the deadline.

Hendricks has only made 40 starts over the last 2 seasons due to a capsular tear in his shoulder. He didn’t make his debut until May 25 last year, though he quickly reverted back to his vintage “Professor” form.

After posting a 4.78 ERA and 1.33 WHIP from 2021-22, Hendricks dropped his ERA by more than a run (3.74) and lowered his WHIP to 1.20 as he made 24 starts in the Cubs rotation.

Now with a normal spring under his belt and a new perspective as a father, Hendricks hopes he can become a better version of himself as a pitcher — even at age 34.

That’s not to say he’ll lead the majors in ERA like he did in 2016 or earn Cy Young votes as in 2020, but the Cubs will certainly take consistency from Hendricks every fifth day.

“There are so many lessons you learn in baseball that are life lessons — how to handle adversity, how to deal with tough situations, how to enjoy the good parts of it,” Hendricks said. “The whole gamut of options are available there and it’s the same with a kid, even just more extremes because baseball’s a game at the end of the day.

“You have to remember it like that whereas your family and all that — a lot more importance there. It’s just one of those things where they definitely go hand-in-hand, teach you things. You’re always trying to become a better person anyway and that helps become a better baseball player for sure.”

That mindset helps keep it all in perspective for Hendricks. He has always been one of the most cerebral pitchers in the sport and while that has been the impetus behind a lot of his success, it can also have its drawbacks too.

But just by his mere presence, Luca can help his dad flush the bad moments. Which is an added benefit against the backdrop of Hendricks’ uncertain future in what could be his final season in a Cubs uniform.

“You’re gonna take your hard days hard no matter what,” Hendricks said. “But already, I’ll throw a bad bullpen in my eyes or something here in spring and I’ll go home and as soon as I see him, he smiles at me, I hold him and everything changes. Trust me, I’m still going to be sitting on the couch grinding.

“In my mind, I’m still thinking about what I’m changing. But it’s so much easier [to move on]. And it’s not in the front of your mind. You have what’s in front of you right there [in family]. You’re smiling, you’re happy. It just eases everything away.

“The sense of purpose there is just absolutely amazing that you have. It’s only been a few months so I just know how much this is going to increase, which everyone tells me. I’m just ready to see what all that entails.”

Hendricks is different even in his own clubhouse. He now knows who all the fathers are on the team or staff and that has become a major topic of conversation (as any parent can attest).

It’s also special to experience all the “firsts” with his son.

“Bringing him [to Sloan Park] for the first game, his first baseball game ever,” Hendricks said in Spring Training. “Getting to take a picture with him, hold him here. I’m here every single day so just adding that excitement to that.

“And of course, back to Wrigley, getting him in the seats, watching games. I remember how I was. He’s obviously still too young — he’s not gonna remember any of it. But I remember when I was al little kid, I just wanted to sit in the seat and watch the game — that was it.

“I didn’t need anything else. I just loved baseball, loved being there, watching it. So I just want to see whatever interests he has and run with it. That’s the most enjoyable part of fatherhood, for sure.”