Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo left Tuesday’s game against the Nationals before the fifth inning. He was experiencing low back tightness, according to the Cubs, and the team pulled him as a precaution.
"He's day-to-day," Cubs manager David Ross said. "Just slipped coming out of box and kind of tweaked his back."
Ross and an athletic trainer jogged out to check on Rizzo during fourth-inning warmups, but Rizzo stayed in.
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"I think he was trying to see if he was going to loosen up a little bit," Ross said.
Nationals left fielder Kyle Schwarber was the first batter of the inning. He hit a sharp ground ball to Rizzo, which hit off the end of the gold glover’s mitt. Schwarber reached on Rizzo’s fielding error.
Rizzo did not return to the field the next inning. Kris Bryant moved from right field to first base, and Jason Heyward entered the game, playing right.
Said Bryant: "I just went down there and told him, 'Hey, I can play first for you. Please don't do anything stupid, we need you for the long haul.' And he's had back trouble before. But I talked to him, he's in good spirits. He's Rizz."