I don’t love that it took a few days to get here, but I very much like that all sides apparently took a candid look at the situation involving Kris Bryant’s wrist, and decided to act.
Earlier we discussed David Ross conceding that Bryant was still bothered when he swung, and now he’s gotten some treatment:
Bryant saw a specialist for his wrist this morning after he realized after last night’s game that he wasn’t feeling right and couldn’t just play thru it. Had a shot earlier today (likely cortisone, Ross wasn’t sure) and is down until at least Fri when they’ll see how he’s feeling
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) August 18, 2020
Kris Bryant saw a specialist today and received a shot for his left wrist, Cubs manager David Ross said.
“If we thought it was best for Kris to go on the IL, we would put him there," Ross said. "But I think the best thing for Kris and the Cubs right now is wait and see.”
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) August 18, 2020
It sucks that Bryant will miss three games in this process because of the doubleheader tomorrow, but the way things were going, it’s not at all clear he actually would’ve helped the Cubs right now.
If it was indeed a cortisone shot, then Bryant will get some relief from discomfort and inflammation in the area for a while – possibly through the rest of the season. Then, when the season’s over, he will have more time to rest and the inflammation/irritation to recede naturally.
Should things proceed according to plan, Bryant could be feeling good to go for Friday’s game, and if he hasn’t developed mechanical issues that need unwinding, he could take right back off. Here’s hoping.
(As I understand it, the reason you don’t immediately jump to an injection in these situations is that there are always some risks of side effects, and if it’s a real injury, all you’re doing is allowing yourself to physically play through it and potentially cause more damage. That, of course, doesn’t happen in every situation, and there are ways to manage the risk. Throw in the fact that, in this instance, it’s a short rest of the season and then an offseason to rest, I doubt there are serious concerns about Bryant mucking up his wrist too badly because he can’t feel the damage he’s doing.)