It took all of three games for the Chicago Cubs to be staring disaster right in the face.
According to a report by Buster Olney of ESPN on Friday, there is “a lot of concern” within the Cubs organization about the injury to slugger Kyle Schwarber, with much of the concern being centered upon his knee rather than his ankle.
A lot of concern within the Cubs organization today about Kyle Schwarber's injury, and there is more concern about his knee than his ankle.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 8, 2016
Schwarber, 23, was injured in an outfield collision with center fielder Dexter Fowler in the second inning of the Cubs’ 14-6 victory over the Diamondbacks on Thursday. The two were attempting to track down a gapper off the bat of Jean Segura and crashed into each other violently with Schwarber’s left leg being twisted awkwardly underneath him. The ball bounced away and Segura wound up with an inside-the-park home run.
Here is video of the collision:
Schwarber had to be carted off the field, but the good news is that X-rays on the leg were negative and he was diagnosed with a sprained ankle, per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
#Cubs Schwarber being evaluated for sprained left ankle. Initial X-rays negative. MRI sked for tomorrow
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) April 8, 2016
The Indiana University product is far from out of the woods, however, with Muskat also reporting that there is still no update on Schwarber’s MRI results and that he is headed for a DL stint either way.
No update yet on #Cubs Schwarber but he is headed for DL.
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) April 8, 2016
Despite having perhaps the most potent offense in the MLB this season, an extended absence by Schwarber will be difficult for the Cubs to overcome. He feasts on right-handed pitching and has the arguably the best raw power of anyone on the team (Exhibit A). Schwarber’s versatility to play both left field or catcher will also be missed.
Image Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
H/T Rotoworld
