Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger was upbeat Tuesday night, despite exiting the game early with what he described as a “dull pain” in his right ribs from jumping into the brick outfield wall at Wrigley Field.
“We’re going to have to check on the wall,” he joked after the game. “See if the wall’s OK first, and then be careful around that wall next time.”
He received disheartening news Wednesday morning.
A CT scan revealed that Bellinger had fractured two ribs on his right side, manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday. The Cubs put Bellinger on the 10-day injured list, and in a corresponding move, they recalled top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Bellinger hurt his ribs chasing down a deep fly off Astros hitter Yainer Diaz’s bat in the fourth inning. The ball hit the wall as he was trying to corral it, for a double in a game the Cubs would go on to win 7-2. Bellinger initially stayed in the game but eventually left before the top of the seventh inning.
“Honestly didn’t feel much at first,” he said after the game. “And then as the innings went on, started to get a little more uncomfortable. It was nothing serious. It’s dull. It’s very dull pain even now, which is a good sign.”
Bellinger said he felt fine rotating his torso, but deep breaths were uncomfortable.His X-rays came back negative that night, and Counsell said Bellinger was even encouraged by how he felt waking up Wednesday morning.
“‘I think I kind of dodged something,’ were his words, actually,” Counsell said.
The results of his CT scan later that morning were a ding to that optimism.
The Cubs don’t have a specific timeline for Bellinger’s return before the game Wednesday, Counsell said. Bellinger was set to discuss the injury and next steps with doctors more extensively.
Last season, Bellinger happened to land on the IL early in the year after a leaping catch at the top of the Minute Maid Park wall in a game against the Astros. Without Bellinger for a month because of a bone bruise in his left knee, the Cubs offense wavered.
“Frankly, what your goal is in those situations is, there’s going to be a little bit of a drop off, but you hope to minimize it as much as you can,” Counsell said. “And I do think we’re in that position just to minimize maybe [Bellinger and right fielder Seiya Suzuki’s] absences a little bit and a cover for them a little bit.”
Crow-Armstrong’s role
Crow-Armstrong has had a slow start at the plate in Triple-A this season, batting just .203. But his defensive prowess and speed on the basepaths can be an asset to the major-league team.
“Pete’s here because of injuries,” Counsell said when asked about balancing development and winning at the big-league level. “And so when these guys get healthy, there’s probably not going to be a spot for him. And so from that perspective, we’re maybe taking a timeout. But I still think big-league at-bats, big-league competition, that’s development too.”
Counsell doesn’t expect to start Crow-Armstrong in the outfield every day, but the rookie will likely get some starts in addition to coming off the bench as a pinch runner or defensive replacement.