‘I’m OK’: Albert Almora thankful for support in aftermath of foul-ball incident

ST. LOUIS — Outfielder Albert Almora said he still plans to connect with the family of the child who was hospitalized after getting hit by his foul ball Wednesday in Houston. But it will have to wait.

‘‘Right now the family wants complete privacy, and obviously we’re gonna respect that,’’ Almora said before the Cubs’ game Friday against the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. ‘‘When they’re ready . . . I’ll do whatever I can to put a smile on that girl’s face, the family’s face. That’s all I can say about that.’’

Almora was in the lineup against the Cardinals, but he still seemed to be shaken by the incident, which was punctuated by his distraught, tearful reaction after realizing the girl had been injured by the foul ball.

‘‘It’s tough to answer these questions because I’m not the one hurt,’’ Almora said. ‘‘People are praying for me and stuff like that, but . . . I’m healthy. My mind’s OK; I’m OK. And it’s thanks to my teammates, thanks to my family. That’s all I can say.’’

Almora said he ‘‘didn’t move from bed’’ after waking up Thursday ‘‘with endless amounts of text messages from family and friends.’’

‘‘I had a great support group around me — from my family back home and I can’t speak enough about my teammates,’’ Almora said. ‘‘When I [say] this is a family, that’s what I mean.’’

As regrettable as the incident and the emotional toll on him was — ‘‘It’s something I don’t wish on my worst enemy,’’ he said — Almora acknowledged it has been a moving and learning experience.

‘‘As tough as it’s been, it has made me a better person,’’ he said. ‘‘And it has opened my eyes to other things. I never want it to happen again; I wish it wouldn’t have happened. But you take it in stride and move forward, and hopefully all is well and she’s gonna make a full recovery, God willing.

‘‘But it’s something I’ll never forget, obviously, for the rest of my life. I’m not saying I’m going to try and turn it into a positive. But right now, all I’ve seen . . . is love and people that care, and that means the world to me.’’

Strop return imminent

Reliever Pedro Strop is ready to go after a second strong rehab outing Thursday at Class AAA Iowa. In two one-inning rehab outings, Strop allowed one hit and threw 12 strikes on 13 pitches.

‘‘He’s doing really well,’’ manager Joe Maddon said. ‘‘I haven’t heard from the office yet regarding the exact due date.’’

CarGo boost?

Maddon was mildly intrigued by the possibility of outfielder Carlos Gonzalez — who recently was signed to a minor-league contract — joining the Cubs, possibly at the start of their homestand Monday.

‘‘I’m eager to hear how he’s doing,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘He gives us another left-hander to utilize versus a good right-handed pitcher, and that’s it. Haven’t really thought about it much more deeply than that.’’