In a move that looked increasingly inevitable throughout the week, the Cubs put third baseman Kris Bryant on the disabled list Thursday for the second time in a month for the same injured left shoulder.
Bryant, who aggravated the shoulder on a swing Monday night, hasn’t played since and was sent Thursday for another MRI exam to reassess the damage. The Cubs won’t speculate on how long he might be sidelined, and manager Joe Maddon said he expects to primarily use Ian Happ and David Bote at third until further notice.
Bote, who had played himself into a valuable trading chip for the Cubs, was recalled from Class AAA Iowa and started at second on Thursday, with Happ at third. Bryant’s injury essentially takes the versatile Bote out of trade talks and reduces an already limited pool of attractive prospects for trades.
“He’s very important to us right now,” Maddon said.
Especially if Bryant, the 2016 National League MVP, is sidelined for any significant time.
Bryant originally hurt the shoulder on a head-first slide in May and played through it until it worsened in June, eventually forcing him to the DL on June 23.
After returning July 11, he went 10-for-40 with two homers, five walks and nine strikeouts. He’s hitless in his last five plate appearances.
“He was trying to manage it but wasn’t seeing the improvement [this week] to the point where it was totally going away,” Maddon said. “So we thought, ‘Let’s retest it.’ We’ll just go back through the process, make sure that we got it right the first time and then work from there.”
The original MRI exam didn’t show any structural damage, and Bryant received a cortisone injection at the time.
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This is the fifth time this season that Bote, 25, has been called up to the majors. He was 13-for-42 (.310) with four extra-base hits in 20 games before Thursday, then singled in his second at-bat against the Diamondbacks.
Baez improves
All-Star second baseman Javy Baez, who suffered a bad bruise just above his knee Tuesday when the Diamondbacks’ Steven Souza slid hard into him trying to stretch a single, said he expected to start Friday in St. Louis.
Baez came off the bench with two out and Kyle Schwarber at third in Thursday’s sixth inning and reached on a third-strike wild pitch, with Schwarber scoring on the play.
“It’s better. I’m OK,” said Baez, who beat out an infield pinch-hit single Wednesday but was clearly in pain and removed for a pinch runner. “I thought I was going to start [Thursday].”
Baez looked closer to normal on the bases and stayed in the game to play shortstop for Addison Russell.
Another step for Smyly
Left-hander Drew Smyly, signed in December coming off Tommy John surgery, threw another bullpen session and could be nearing the start of a minor-league rehab assignment. He said earlier in the week he thought he could start that assignment by early next week.
The Cubs plan to slowly stretch him out during the rehab stint to evaluate him for a possible start in the final weeks of the season. Otherwise, he’s expected to join the bullpen for the final month, barring a setback.
