Tonight, the Chicago Cubs are set to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates in one of the first relatively meaningful series of the season.
That said, when the Chicago Cubs lineup was announced earlier today without Jason Heyward, we weren’t overly concerned. Joe Maddon likes to give regulars a day off every now and then, and Heyward had yet to have his.
However, it is not as simple as that (when is it?). According to multiple reports, Heyward is actually out of the lineup because of a sore right wrist:
Maddon reveals Jason Heyward has a sore right wrist. Not starting tonight
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) May 2, 2016
So much for just a day off. Heyward right wrist sore. Getting treatment. Maddon doesn't anticipate much down time.
— Gordon Wittenmyer (@GDubCub) May 2, 2016
Heyward first started feeling the wrist pain against Arizona. General wear and tear from the sound of it. @Cubs
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) May 2, 2016
[adinserter block=”1″]There isn’t much more information yet on exactly what’s up, so this seems to be more of a general soreness.
For their part, the Cubs don’t see it as anything serious, and are calling it day-to-day for now, and Heyward is available off of the bench:
Jason Heyward scratched from Monday's lineup with sore wrist, but right now #Cubs see it as a day-to-day situation.
— Patrick Mooney (@CSNMooney) May 2, 2016
Heyward day to day, available to PH
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) May 2, 2016
I’ll remind you that Miguel Montero was listed as day-to-day,before he ultimately landed on the 15-day disabled list, but so was Kris Bryant, and he nearly got a pinch hit opportunity on Friday, and eventually started again on Sunday. This early in the season, there’s no reason to force the issue and risk further injury.[adinserter block=”2″]
It sounds like the plan, for now, is to rest Heyward each of the next two nights and see how he feels for Wednesday early game.
Jason Heyward is 0 for his last 19, so maybe a short rest will be good for him anyway. We’ll keep you posted.