Cubs optimistic Kris Bryant can return to lineup Wednesday in Houston

HOUSTON — Third baseman Kris Bryant, who has been sidelined since colliding with Jason Heyward in the outfield Sunday, might return to the lineup Wednesday for the last game of the Astros series, manager Joe Maddon said.

Bryant hit in the batting cage and took grounders at third before the game Tuesday night and seemed to fare well. He’s expected to be evaluated again early Wednesday before a decision is made.

Bryant, who’s hitting .353 with nine home runs and a 1.219 OPS in his last 23 games, left the game against the Reds in the sixth inning after injuring his head and neck.

Heyward, who did not hit his head in the crash, stayed in the game Sunday but was sore enough to miss the game Monday. He returned to the lineup Tuesday and hit his eighth homer (matching last year’s total) during the Cubs’ three-homer second inning.

Maddon said he will not consider giving Bryant an extra day off with the team scheduled to be off Thursday.

“Once he’s ready to go, he’ll be out there,” he said.

Javy’s heel deal

Shortstop Javy Baez, who bruised his right heel on a defensive play May 19, still is bothered enough by it that Maddon is using the designated hitter during this interleague series to lessen the load on his most dynamic player.

“It’s just bothering him a bit laterally,” Maddon said. “If this was a National League game, he might be playing at shortstop.”

Maddon said he hasn’t determined whether Baez will DH again Wednesday.

“I left it open for him to let me know when he thinks he wants to get back out there,” Maddon said. “He knows how he feels. I trust him.”

If his response after striking out five times Monday was any indication, Baez might push to return to the field.

“I’ve got to be moving around,” Baez said. “I tried to hit in the cage [to stay active and ready between at-bats]. I’m not going to say it didn’t work because I was seeing the ball good, just swinging at pitches out of the zone. . . . We’ll see what happens.”

Strop update

Reliever Pedro Strop, who has been on the injured list the last three weeks because of a hamstring injury, made his first minor-league rehab appearance Tuesday night for Class AAA Iowa. He needed only six pitches, all strikes, for his scoreless inning, giving up a leadoff single, followed by a double play and a fly ball.

Strop also is scheduled to pitch an inning for Iowa on Thursday before likely being activated.

“Once we get him back, the bullpen will catch a second wind,” Maddon said.

This and that

Left-hander Mike Montgomery, who thinks the pain he experienced in his middle finger while warming up Monday was because of a popped blood vessel, said he felt better when throwing Tuesday.

u For the first time since May 31, 2008, Cole Hamels didn’t strike out a batter in a start, ending a streak of 343 starts with at least one Monday. It was the fifth-longest streak since at least 1908, behind Nolan Ryan (382), Randy Johnson (351), Javier Vazquez (349) and Dwight Gooden (349).

u One day after Astros infielder Jack Mayfield doubled off Hamels for his first hit in his big-league debut, debuting Astros catcher Garrett Stubbs did it off Jon Lester.