PITTSBURGH — Shortstop Dansby Swanson’s knee wasn’t getting better, even after a couple of days off before the Cubs’ series against the Pirates.
‘‘It kind of got to the point of, were we being tough or stupid?’’ Swanson said before the Cubs’ 7-2 victory Friday. ‘‘I think that we all agreed that it was more stupid than tough.’’
The Cubs put Swanson on the 10-day injured list with a sprained right knee and activated outfielder Seiya Suzuki (strained right oblique) from the IL a day earlier than planned as the corresponding move.
Swanson had been playing through the injury since the Cubs’ 3-1 victory April 25 against the Astros, when he hurt the knee while sliding into second base on a steal. He had been out of the starting lineup twice in the last week.
‘‘Obviously, I’ve been trying to do it for the last couple of weeks, and nothing’s gotten any better,’’ Swanson said before the Cubs’ 7-2 victory in their series opener Friday against the Pirates. ‘‘And we all decided that it was probably best to take some rest. My pride doesn’t like it, but here we are.’’
The move was retroactive to Wednesday, so Swanson will be eligible to come off the IL next Saturday. And manager Craig Counsell said a minimum stint was ‘‘a possibility.’’
But the Cubs have a day off the following Monday, so — provided Swanson recovers quickly — it might make the most sense to bring him back for the series that starts May 21 against the Braves at Wrigley Field.
‘‘It’s day-to-day, literally,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘We’re going to use the first half of it as just rest and then see where we’re at.’’
Swanson, who missed only one game in his last three seasons with the Braves (2020-22), famously despises sitting out. His agitation last season while he was sidelined for 12 games with a heel injury was obvious.
‘‘It stinks because you want to be able to go out there and perform and help the team win and be a part of something bigger than yourself,’’ Swanson said. ‘‘But I can just do that from my new coach’s role for the next few days.’’
With Swanson out Wednesday and Friday, Nico Hoerner moved from second base to shortstop. On Friday, Nick Madrigal started at second.
‘‘It doesn’t feel like that long ago that we were in spring training, and everyone’s mapping out optimal lineups and this and that,’’ Hoerner said when asked about the Cubs’ rash of injuries early this season. ‘‘It’s just not how the game works, unfortunately. But the good part of that is, I think we’ve handled it well and also learned some more about guys on our team that have gotten opportunities and really helped us in the meantime.’’
One of the biggest blows to the Cubs’ lineup was Suzuki’s oblique injury in mid-April. He was batting .305 when he landed on the IL. The next week, center fielder Cody Bellinger went on the IL with fractured ribs. He returned Tuesday.
Suzuki played rehab games Wednesday and Thursday with Triple-A Iowa on his way back from the injury. Friday was scheduled to be a recovery day, so he wasn’t in the lineup despite being activated.
Suzuki said he beat the timeline he initially expected after the injury.
‘‘This is a really long season, and obviously unexpected things happen,’’ Suzuki said through an interpreter. ‘‘Belli’s back, I’m back and we’ve all just got to help each other out. We’re a team. I feel like we all can do that as one.’’
The Cubs had 14 hits against the Pirates, including four from Bellinger, their most since April 26 at Boston.
‘‘That’s what good teams do,’’ said left fielder Ian Happ, who had an RBI double in the Cubs’ four-run seventh inning. ‘‘You get a 3-2 lead, you keep adding on. Just really good to see it. I think more of that to come with Belli and Seiya back.’’
