The Cubs have been without their stud first baseman for the past few days, and it’s possible it could be longer.
Anthony Rizzo has missed a game or two here and there in his time with the Cubs thanks to back tightness, but three days is atypical, and apparently, the source of the discomfort is atypical, too.
Rizzo has been dealing with this back issue since Cincy. Said he hoped it would be gone in those 2 days off but tightened up again Thursday, played through it and got worse Friday.
— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) April 8, 2018
His back issues in the past are typically upper back, he said. This is lower back, something that's grabbed. But he is feeling better and hopes to play in Cubs home opener, but also doesn't want this issue to linger into season.
— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) April 8, 2018
#Cubs Rizzo on how he feels: "Better — better than yesterday, better than the day before. It's one of those things where it locks up. It's locked up worse than it has in the past. I don't want to re-aggravate it."
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) April 8, 2018
Watch Anthony Rizzo discuss missing his third straight game with back tightness. https://t.co/zIuHUbW4w4 pic.twitter.com/3oQzeHWOM2
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) April 8, 2018
I didn’t know that Rizzo’s previous issues were upper back, which explains why it would subside relatively quickly. Lower back stuff, man, it’s just a different animal. It can linger and re-emerge without warning, and then can also disappear relatively quickly (but very unpredictably). That would also explain why there’s so much uncertainty about when Rizzo will return. But if you try to do too much with lower back tightness, you can seriously injure that thing.
As I said in the Bullets, if the Cubs decide to opt for a disabled list stint, Rizzo would have to miss only an additional six games from here, thanks to the Tuesday off-day. Obviously no one wants to see the Cubs without Rizzo for longer than necessary, but if he’s going to be out several more days, it might be best just to get another player up and let Rizzo have a little more time.
I expect we’ll be hearing much more on this after today’s game/before tomorrow’s opener. The other variable is, heaven forbid, the Cubs’ bullpen gets massively used up today, then perhaps the combination of needing a fresh arm and Rizzo’s situation will make a roster move all the more likely.