Ben Zobrist has been on the restricted list since May, dealing with a personal issue, but he made his return to the baseball field Friday night and instantly reminded everyone why he’s beloved by fans.
Zobrist reported to South Bend, where he started his comeback to the Cubs after his three-month absence. He’ll be there this weekend and on Friday he made sure to sign as many autographs as possible.
Just an awesome guy. Can’t wait for him to return to the Cubs.
The plan is for Zobrist to DH at South Bend and then the front office will evaluate how he feels to decide the next step. Theo Epstein has said it will take Zobrist about a month to get ready to join the Cubs again.
When he does come back, Zobrist won’t be an every day player and on Friday Epstein hinted that this might be Zobrist’s last year before retiring.
Zobrist has to be reinstated from the restricted list before Sept. 1, to be eligible for the playoffs.
By the way, yes, Ben does have a new walk up song.
As far as the game goes, Zobrist went 0-for-3, with a strikeout and a walk. He flew out once to right field and once to center, while getting at-bats from both sides of the plate.
