The Chicago Cubs have had their fair share of unfortunate injuries this season and that includes Kris Bryant, who continues to deal with a sore shoulder.
The third baseman was scratched from Tuesday night’s lineup against the Arizona Diamondbacks because of his shoulder and Cubs’ manager Joe Maddon is giving the 2016 National League MVP another day off Wednesday.
Joe Maddon says Kris Bryant's sore shoulder remains an ongoing issue that will probably keep him out of tomorrow's lineup, too: "I have to be proactive with that. I want to make sure that we're not pushing it too hard right now."
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) July 24, 2018
Bryant missed nearly three weeks with shoulder inflammation in June and early July. One of the most consistent hitters in the game has been bad for more than a month and the shoulder injury obviously has something to do with it.
It’s now evident that the shoulder issue won’t go away any time soon and the plan for now is rest. It begs to wonder why the Cubs aren’t using the 10-day DL for Bryant if the best cure for now is resting, but that’s a different issue.
The question now and for the future is, if the shoulder doesn’t get better with rest, will surgery be needed?
Maddon was asked if Bryant’s shoulder will have to be “dealt with” in the offseason.
Maddon on if Bryant shoulder is an issue that may have to be "dealt with" in the off-season: pic.twitter.com/Y0cNvQaSQq
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) July 24, 2018
Bryant has played in 76 games this season, slashing .276/.380/.474, with 11 home runs and 44 RBIs. At this rate, he’ll have career lows in home runs and RBIs, while also setting new career lows in slugging and OPS.
The hope is that rest really does end up being the cure, but don’t be surprised if you eventually see Bryant getting surgery in the offseason to fix his ailing shoulder.
