The Chicago Cubs became the latest MLB squad to batter the Houston Astros, as the Northsiders thumped their once-great visitors 7-2 on Tuesday night.
However, the troubling specter of injury loomed over the Chicago Cubs late in an otherwise joyous night at Wrigley Field. One of the team’s key contributors was taken out of the contest wincing and holding his side.
Former National League Most Valuable Player Cody Bellinger, a 2023 Silver Slugger award winner, was initially declared to be dealing with a rib contusion after colliding with the outfield wall during the game.
After initially declaring that X-rays were negative on Bellinger’s ribs, the Chicago Cubs announced on Wednesday that he had sustained a fractured rib and was going on the injured list.
Chicago Cubs Now Down Two Starting Outfielders
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Bellinger becomes the second member of the Chicago Cubs starting outfield to go on the injured list. On April 15, the team placed Seiya Suzuki on the 10-day IL due to a right oblique strain. Suzuki was hitting .305 with three home runs and 13 RBIs to begin the season. Expected to be out until mid-May, Suzuki has just begun light baseball activity this week.
In his second season with the Chicago Cubs, Bellinger wasn’t off to as good of a start as Suzuki. He was batting a mild .226 through 84 at-bats, but he did have five homers (including one on Tuesday before he was injured) and 17 RBIs. He was beginning to awaken from his early-season doldrums, as Tuesday’s home run extended his hitting streak to eight games and was his third round-tripper in the previous five games.
Bellinger was a fixture in the middle of the team’s lineup, as well as providing stellar defense in center field. His presence will be missed both in the lineup and out in the field, with a prospective timeline for his return ranging from 1-3 months.
It is the third crucial loss to injury for the Chicago Cubs, with staff ace Justin Steele going down to a hamstring injury on Opening Day in addition to the maladies that befell Suzuki and Bellinger. Both Steele and Suzuki are expected back in May.
In spite of the losses, the Chicago Cubs, under new manager Craig Counsell, are maintaining a 98-win pace so far. The team is 14-9 as of the start of Wednesday’s games, just one-half game behind the National League-leading Milwaukee Brewers.
Top Prospect Gets Recalled by Chicago Cubs
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To replace Bellinger on the active roster, the Chicago Cubs recalled top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong from Triple-A Iowa. Crow-Armstrong, himself regarded as a top-flight defensive centerfielder, struggled at the plate during a call-up from the minor leagues last season.
He played 13 games last September in a much-anticipated MLB debut. However, the 22-year-old did not manage a hit in 14 at-bats, though he did score three times and log one RBI. He has scuffled in the early going at Iowa this season as well, hitting just .203 in 79 at-bats with two homers and seven RBIs. Prior to his call-up from Triple-A last season, he was hitting .271 at Iowa after posting a .289 average at Double-A Tennessee.
Despite his offensive struggles, Crow-Armstrong is likely to see the lion’s share of playing time in center field for the Chicago Cubs, flanked by Ian Happ and Mike Tauchman, until Suzuki returns.
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Tom Carothers is a sportswriter with more than 20 years of experience covering sports at the high school, collegiate, and professional levels. Still longing for the return of his Minnesota North Stars, he has a high pain tolerance as a big fan of the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Browns, and Tottenham Hotspur.
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