Kris Bryant was off to an uncharacteristically slow start to the 2020 season, when he was removed from the game last night without much information from the broadcast booth. And given the Reds recent brushes with COVID-19, the late lineup announcement this afternoon, and his absence from the starting group for tonight, I admit I was a little freaked. Fortunately, we need not fear the worst.
It isn’t necessarily great news, but I was tentatively expecting much worse than this:
Ross: Bryant dealing with what is believed to be a minor left elbow issue. Called it "bumps and bruises" and just wants to be cautious. Says Bryant isn't concerned.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) July 28, 2020
Ross: Training staff also not overly concerned about Bryant's elbow issue. No additional testing deemed necessary yet. Just treatment behind scenes.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) July 28, 2020
Kris Bryant is dealing with regular old baseball bumps and bruises, and the Cubs are just being cautious. You might be skeptical – and like I said an elbow injury isn’t GOOD news – but without any further testing scheduled, it’s possible a little bit of rest is all he needs.
Now with that said: No, the Cubs don’t necessarily deserve the benefit of the doubt – they’ve historically downplayed one too many injuries within the first few hours/days – but in this season, with a guy like Bryant, while he’s struggling, with quality bats to replace him, I just have to imagine they’d be as proactive and cautious as possible. As for Bryant, he’s obviously dealt with some shoulder injuries before, so you hate to see another health-related speed bump, but if we trust the Cubs, again, this may quickly be a distant memory.
Let’s hope for that and focus on beating the Reds tonight. We’ll update this post if any more information becomes available, but I doubt we’ll hear much more until the game (or tomorrow).