The Cubs are banged up.
Each of Kyle Schwarber, Ben Zobrist, Addison Russell, Jason Heyward, Jake Arrieta and Kyle Hendricks are dealing with injury issues at the moment – some more severe than others – which means the Cubs are playing short-handed (well, sorta).
And while there’s nothing new to report on either of the pitchers right now (just status quo), the remaining four position players have some updates. So, let’s address.
According to Bruce Miles on Twitter, Kyle Schwarber received an X-ray last night after fouling a ball of his ankle and being removed from the game. Fortunately, the results of the X-ray were negative. That’s the good news. The bad news is we can’t be sure if the Cubs were just being extra safe with their left fielder, or if the pain/injury actually warranted a closer look. We’ll have to wait and see when the lineup comes out today, but my guess is that Schwarber might not be in it. For what it’s worth, Schwarber’s slashed .209/.333/.558 with 4 homers in the month of June, which is a fantastic .371 wOBA and 128 wRC+. The average might not be where you want, but you take that slash line from him without blinking.
Moving from left-field to second base, there is some good news: Ben Zobrist (wrist) is making his way back. According to Carrie Muskat (Cubs.com), Zobrist’s MRI yesterday revealed a clean bill of health and he should be activated from the Disabled List on Friday (the first day of eligibility). That’s not technically a lock, mind you (he’s going to wait and see how he feels tomorrow first), but that does seem to be the plan. That could mean Tommy La Stella will return to Triple-A Iowa, but with the number of injuries going around the roster, anything can happen between now and then.
Addison Russell and Jason Heyward were out of the starting lineup yesterday:
Russell turned his ankle on Saturday night, which forced him to miss the entire game Sunday and stay out of the starting lineup Monday. He did eventually pinch hit for Jon Lester later in the game and played the field though, so he could be back in the starting lineup soon.
Heyward has been dealing with a blister on his hand that is downright terrifying to look at. Like, seriously, don’t click it if you’re squeamish.
Fortunately, Bruce Levine is reporting that although both Heyward and Russell were out of the starting lineup on Monday night, both were technically available (Russell obviously was) and both would have played if this was a playoff game. Russell has slashed .292/.320/.750 since returning to the team (following a break surrounding domestic violence allegations) and Heyward has slashed .273/.319/.409 in his last ~50 plate appearances.
So, yes, the Cubs are pretty beat up right now, but the good news is that things appear to be getting better. And with the All-Star break just around the corner, everyone should get a chance to rest up soon.
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