With today being the fifth day Kris Bryant was unable to get back into the lineup with his lingering finger and wrist issues, the Cubs finally decided to put him on the Injured List.
Unfortunately, the maximum backdating is three days, so the move is only retroactive to August 19. That means he’s guaranteed to be out at least a week.
Of course, if the move gives Bryant enough time to fully heal up, then fine. Why keep playing a man short and pressuring Bryant to get back on the field? Query why the Cubs had Bryant play through the injury for about five days in the first place when it was clear to everyone that he wasn’t right, but, well, some organizational habits die hard.
In the meantime, David Bote is now your everyday third baseman, and hopefully he can ably fill the spot. There is no corresponding roster move tonight for the Cubs, so they’ll still be playing a man short. But tomorrow, depending on how today’s game goes (need an arm? need a bat?), the Cubs will add someone from South Bend. Probably shoulda hung onto Derek Dietrich, eh?