NEWSLETTER
Chicago Cubs fans will probably have to wait at least another day or two before finally seeing Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler together in the same lineup.
Soler, who came up to the Cubs just after Rizzo started sitting with back issues, will return from paternity leave today to play against the Reds in Chicago. Rizzo, however, may not be back today as previously hoped.
After indicating yesterday that he wouldn’t make a decision on Rizzo for today’s game until today, manager Rick Renteria suggested later in the week was more likely.
“I don’t want to put a date on [his return],” Renteria told Cubs.com. “Let’s hope that sometime in the coming week we’ll see something and go from there. If it happens to be much sooner than later, good for us.”
There’s no real need to rush things, given that a back strain can be a tricky thing to overcome, and no one wants to see Rizzo more seriously laid up going into the offseason. It does sound like he’ll return at some point, which is really all anyone is looking for – the opportunity for Rizzo to finish out a great year on the field, however many games that means. Until then, the Cubs can afford to be cautious.
UPDATE: Scratch much of that, because Rizzo IS back in the lineup tonight against the Reds. Hooray! Things!
