Kris exasperated by wrist injury
It has been a frustrating first month for Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, and his frustrations only have been exacerbated by his latest injury.
The Cubs put Bryant on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a sprained left ring finger and a sore left wrist.
‘‘I am frustrated that I’m not able to get out there and play baseball,’’ Bryant said. ‘‘This is a weird time that we’re in right now. Sure, it would be nice just to get out there and have some normalcy, but I’m here for support. Help those who are struggling, feel like a good mentor to those people who need it. I’m hoping to be back out there real soon.’’
Bryant injured the finger and wrist while trying to make a diving catch Aug. 12 against the Indians, but he admitted he thought things would be fine after blasting a 430-foot home run later in the game.
But the wrist got progressively worse in the days that followed, and after trying to play through the pain for six games, Bryant needed an injection Tuesday.
‘‘I was telling [first baseman Anthony] Rizzo in the on-deck circle [in Cleveland], ‘I don’t feel great,’ but I didn’t want to come out,’’ Bryant said. ‘‘And then, of course, you hit a home run. You’re on that home-run high, and you feel great.
‘‘It just progressively speeds up on you. You’re squeezing the glove in the outfield. I was like: ‘Oh, man. Yeah, this hurts, but I feel great.
I just hit a home run.’ So it’s hard to balance those feelings.’’
Bryant said he is working to improve the range of motion in his wrist while he’s out. He said the pain in the wrist comes when he’s finishing his swing at the point of extension. The injury has affected his performance at the plate, as his .177/.271/.323 slash line shows.
‘‘The bottom hand is gonna be a little more important in guiding the bat, especially when the finish on the swing has a lot of torque on that bottom hand,’’ manager David Ross said. ‘‘I think any kind of hand issue with the swing can play a big role, and it definitely was affecting Kris.
‘‘That’s why it’s just really important for us to give him the time he needs to get that thing fully healthy and come back and be the player that he expects to be.’’
Bryant said he isn’t sure whether the rest and treatment he receives while on the IL will eliminate the pain in his wrist, but his goal is to be able to swing without any hesitation.
‘‘I don’t have the [answers] to that, and those are certainly questions I’ve asked the trainers or team doctors — if it’s something that will eventually go away,’’ Bryant said. ‘‘They don’t really know, either.
‘‘It’s kind of just your symptoms might pop up here and there, and then you just manage it for what it is. If it gets any worse, then you can address it. I guess right now it is kind of a pain-symptom management and moving on from there.’’
‘‘I AM FRUSTRATED THAT I’M NOT ABLE TO GET OUT THERE AND PLAY BASEBALL. THIS IS A WEIRD TIME THAT WE’RE IN RIGHT NOW.” KRIS BRYANT