After a season-long slump, Addison Russell had finally started to turn things around offensively.
Which means it was high time for his troublesome shoulder to start barking again.
Russell was removed from the game today in the 4th inning due to right shoulder discomfort. He’s dealt with the issue on and off for a while now, but it seemed like he was finally over the hump. Not so, apparently, and hopefully he didn’t feel any kind of serious pinch today at the plate or in the field. Nothing was noticeable visually, for what little that’s worth.
Javy Baez moved to shortstop to cover Russell’s departure, with Ian Happ moving to second, Kris Bryant sliding over to center field, and Willson Contreras entering the game in right field.
We’ll update when there’s more info available, but based on how things have gone and how long-standing this shoulder thing has been, I wouldn’t be surprised if this means missed time for Russell.