Wrist watch: Bryant hit by pitch
CLEVELAND — Third baseman
Kris Bryant was removed in the seventh inning in Wednesday’s 2-1 loss to the Indians after being hit in the left wrist.
Bryant didn’t start the game as he was recovering from an illness, but with the game tied in the seventh, manager David Ross turned to him as a pinch hitter.
On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Bryant was drilled in the left wrist/forearm by a 95 mph fastball from Indians reliever Cal Quantrill. After taking a long walk down the first-base line and talking with head athletic trainer PJ Mainville, Bryant left the game.
“I think it’s just a contusion,” Ross said. “We were pinch-running for him either way. He’s felt pretty crappy. So we were running for him no matter what.”
Bryant was removed in the seventh inning of Tuesday’s game after dealing with congestion and breathing issues throughout the game. He has been arguably the best hitter in baseball this season, slashing .308/.400/.650 with nine home runs and an MLB-leading 23 extra-base hits.
“He’s just super under the weather,” Ross said before the game. “He didn’t sleep much last night. Just not feeling good.”
Happ and Hoerner on the mend
After putting several players on the 10day injured list over the last week, the Cubs are one the verge of getting a few of them back.
Infielder Nico Hoerner has been increasing his baseball activities for the last week and recently started taking batting practice. He could be ready to come off the IL as soon as Friday.
Hoerner injured his left forearm in a collision with center fielder Ian Happ going for a fly ball on May 2. The 23-year-old infielder is slashing .389/.500/.556 with six doubles and three stolen bases this season.
Happ has also started to ramp up his workload over the last few days. The Cubs’ leadoff man isn’t as far along as Hoerner, but continues to make progress after suffering a left rib bruise in the collision with the infielder.
“Nico did not hit on the field yesterday, [Happ] did,” Ross said. “Nico was supposed to have his own session this morning out there to hit a little bit. I’ll get some feedback from that. He took a ton of ground balls and ran bases yesterday, everything seems to be progressing well for Nico.
“[Ian] still just probably a tick behind. Each day [he] improves pretty significantly. So the more he’s able to do, the better just to stay active.”
Arrieta to start Friday
Starter Jake Arrieta is on track to make his return to the mound after suffering a cut on his right thumb. Arrieta threw a bullpen session before the game against the Indians and will start against the Tigers in Friday’s series opener.