Cubs’ Kris Bryant sidelined again as ailing left shoulder flares up

Kris Bryant’s left shoulder injury isn’t going away anytime soon, and the Cubs’ 2016 MVP is expected to miss at least half of this week’s four-game series against the Diamondbacks because of it.

Bryant, who recently spent more than two weeks on the disabled list because of the injury, aggravated it on a swing Monday night, said manager Joe Maddon, who left Bryant out of the lineup Tuesday and expects to do the same Tuesday.

“He played through it [Monday after the swing] but didn’t feel great afterwards and he’s not feeling that great yet [Tuesday],” Maddon said. “So let’s not mess with this right now.”

Bryant, who first hurt the shoulder on a head-first slide in May, said he played through discomfort for about a month before the pain worsened, leading to the DL move June 23.

Since returning July 11, he’s 10-for-40 with two homers, five walks and nine strikeouts. He’s hitless in his last five plate appearances with two strikeouts.

“He’s trying to make some adjustments,” Maddon said. “I like what he was actually doing [Monday]; the ball started doing the other way, which he needs to do.”

Maddon said he didn’t know if surgery would be an option after the season.

“Obviously rest will be the best thing for it right now,” Maddon said. “Right now it’s just trying to manage it and get him through the season. …But I don’t know what the offseason would hold.”