NEWSLETTER
Immediately after taking the field in the top of the 4th inning (before the first pitch was thrown), Anthony Rizzo did something to attract the attention of David Ross and one of the Cubs trainers. After a brief meeting at first base, it was pretty clear that Rizzo was dealing with some sort of injury (his back was the consensus guess, but it’s not entirely clear just yet).
He finished the half-inning – after first mishandling a grounder off the bat of Kyle Schwarber (and staying down on one knee longer than you’d like to see) – but he immediately went into the tunnel thereafter, and is now out of the game.
In bottom of 4th, Rizzo went back into the tunnel with one of Cubs' medical staffers. Hasn't re-emerged. Kris Bryant taking over at first base in the 5th.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) May 19, 2021
Kris Bryant is taking over at first base, and Jason Heyward is in to play right field.
Anthony Rizzo has a history of back issues, and although they usually do not keep him out long, they have been a chronic problem over the course of his career.
Update: It was, indeed, lower back tightness for Rizzo, and the Cubs say he was removed out of caution, but we’ll see if he’s in there tomorrow.
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo exited tonight’s game with low back tightness as a precautionary move, the team announced.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) May 19, 2021
