Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson suffered an injury during Sunday’s series finale against the St. Louis Cardinals. In the bottom of the third inning, Swanson swung and missed at a pitch awkwardly.
Following the whiff, he grimaced with discomfort and after a brief discussion with manager Craig Counsell and trainers he departed the game with James Triantos entering mid at-bat.
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After the game, Counsell revealed that Swanson would be placed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique injury. Given how close the postseason is and with the Cubs in position to make it for the second straight year, the initial fear was that it could keep him out until October.
Fortunately, it appears that will not be the case, and it is a huge silver lining as the Cubs received an update on the severity of Swanson’s setback.
“Cubs news: Hearing it’s a Grade 2 oblique strain for Dansby Swanson, per a source. Normal timetable is 4-6 weeks. That would have him ready for the postseason,” reported Jesse Rogers of ESPN.
While it is disappointing to see Swanson go down, this is the best-case scenario given the circumstances. Even if he takes the full length of that timeline to return, he will likely not have much time to shake off the rust before potentially appearing in a playoff game. But knowing there is a strong chance he is back is rejuvenating for the Cubs clubhouse.
Swanson provides an elite all-around impact. His .216 batting average, .300 on-base percentage and .704 OPS are roughly league average, but what is far from league average is his defense, which is Gold Glove caliber at a premium position up the middle.
He is also still a base-stealing threat, adding another dimension to his value that does not show up in the traditional slash line. For a Cubs team with genuine World Series aspirations, getting Swanson back healthy for October is huge.
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