Kris Bryant lefty today’s game after a hard slide into second base. Bryant had just singled and was taking second base on a throw when his head and neck made contact with Brewers shortstop Jean Segura. Bryant looked like he was in pain, and then left the game. I don’t like to speculate on injuries based solely on how it looked, but the head/neck area seemed to be what was impacted.
We’ll see what the official injury is, and how the prognosis looks. Hopefully it’s not serious.
If Bryant has to miss more than a few days, it doesn’t seem like the Cubs will yet bring up Javier Baez, who is still getting back into form at AAA Iowa (though the Cubs have altered development plans a few times already this year when injury has forced their hand).
Instead, bringing Mike Olt back up seems more likely, or maybe even Christian Villanueva finally gets a look. There’s also Tommy La Stella, who is in the lineup today for the Tennessee Smokies and playing third base. He’ll be back up eventually (oblique), but it just depends on his own readiness.
UPDATE: It sounds like the Cubs and Bryant are hopeful he’ll avoid any kind of DL stint for what was, indeed, a knock to the head. Bryant was a little dizzy, and the Cubs pulled him:
#Cubs went through concussion protocol testing after Kris Bryant left Sunday's game feeling dizzy from headfirst slide into second base.
— Patrick Mooney (@CSNMooney) August 2, 2015
#Cubs Maddon on Bryant: "He got banged a little bit on the slide, popped him in the head a little bit. He's a little bit dizzy"
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) August 2, 2015
Maddon on Bryant: "He’s a little bit dizzy at the moment. We believe he’s fine. We took him out (as a precaution)." #Cubs
— Patrick Mooney (@CSNMooney) August 2, 2015
#Cubs Bryant on slide: "It was a hard play. I was going as hard as I can. I'm feeling better and we'll see what it feels like tomorrow."
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) August 2, 2015
The Cubs will reevaluate Bryant tomorrow in Pittsburgh, and hopefully he does feel fine. That said, concussions aren’t something to be messed around with, and taking a little time off – even for something minor – can be the best move in the long run. Again, maybe it was nothing but a very temporary thing, and Bryant is good to go tomorrow. If not, though, hopefully he needs only a little time off to be sure he’s 100%.