God’s Wrath Watch: Bryant, Candelario, Heyward, Zobrist, Russell

The Cubs are maybe-possibly-slowly getting healthy again, but it’s going to be a bit before everyone is back …

  • Kris Bryant was feeling much better yesterday after rolling his ankle in Wednesday night’s game, but it’s still unclear when he’ll be able to return to action. Joe Maddon says it’s something Bryant has dealt with before, and it might not require a disabled list stint, but the team expects to know more on how they’ll proceed by this weekend (CSN).
  • With an off-day coming on Monday, it’s possible that the Cubs elect to sit Bryant all weekend in Cincinnati so that he gets now another four days off while missing just three more games. It’s also possible that, if he’s clearly not going to be able to play by Sunday, the Cubs opt to put him on the disabled list and bring up a fresh body. If they go that route, Bryant wouldn’t be eligible to return until the final game before the All-Star break, at which point they may well just sit him for that game, too, giving him a full two weeks off. Given that timetable, I could see why – in this instance – the Cubs might be slightly more inclined to play things by ear and try to get through a few days short-handed before opting for the disabled list if it’s not a serious injury.
  • The fastball that bored into Jeimer Candelario’s knee yesterday is a bit of a complicating factor. Although X-rays were negative, the fill-in third baseman was still in pain after the game. And if he’s not able to go today, you wonder whether the Cubs will put somebody on the disabled list just so they aren’t playing with a two-man bench tonight.
  • And yet another layer complicating that question is Ben Zobrist’s eventual return. He had a successful first rehab game last night for Tennessee:
  • Zobrist is coming back from a protracted period of rest for his wrist, and if it responds well today after his game last night, it’s not inconceivable that he could be back with the big league team very soon. Tonight would seem a bit of a stretch, but it’s possible.
  • Joe Maddon says Jason Heyward’s hand is still not quite right after the abrasion he suffered, which has taken some time to heal (Tribune). It’s still not clear when he’ll be able to return – I’ve not yet heard of him taking full-on batting practice yet. It was just a really bad scrape (it’s been compared to a third-degree burn) in a really bad spot on his hand, impacting his ability to throw the ball and grip the bat. Given that he’s now been out over a week, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll need a game or two in the minors before ultimately returning, whenever that is.
  • Addison Russell (shoulder) was able to play all of yesterday’s game without issue. This is probably just going to be something that comes and goes all year, and we’re probably always going to wonder what kind of impact it’s had on his performance.
  • written by

    Brett Taylor is the Lead Cubs Writer at Bleacher Nation, and you can find him on Twitter at @BleacherNation and on LinkedIn here. Brett is also the founder of Bleacher Nation, which opened up shop in 2008 as an independent blog about the Chicago Cubs. Later growing to incorporate coverage of other Chicago sports, Bleacher Nation is now one of the largest regional sports blogs on the web.

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