CHICAGO (AP) - Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant got an injection Tuesday for his ailing left wrist, sidelining the slugger for at least two days.
Manager David Ross said Bryant also saw a specialist for the injury. The Cubs are off Thursday, so the earliest the 2016 NL MVP could return to the lineup is Friday against the crosstown White Sox.
“The hope is that he would be back Friday, but there’s no way of knowing that until we have those conversations and he picks up a bat and swings and tests it and all those things,” Ross said.
The Cubs also placed outfielder Steven Souza Jr. on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain. Infielder Hernán Pérez was promoted from the team’s alternate training site in South Bend, Indiana, and left-hander Brad Wieck was transferred to the 45-day IL.
Bryant tweaked his wrist on a diving attempt on César Hernández’s flare to left field in the fifth inning of a 7-2 victory at Cleveland last week. He stayed in the game and homered in the sixth, but he sat out for the next two days before returning Saturday against Milwaukee.
The 28-year-old Bryant is batting just .177 with 20 strikeouts in 14 games. He went 1 for 7 during Monday’s doubleheader split against St. Louis.
“You could definitely see him trying to push through it a little bit,” Ross said. “Finally he just came in after the game yesterday and felt like he needed to do something a little more.”
Ian Happ replaced Bryant in the leadoff slot Tuesday night and went 2 for 3 with a solo homer and two walks in Chicago’s 6-3 victory over St. Louis. David Bote started at third and went 1 for 3.
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