Kris Bryant is out of the Cubs lineup Tuesday at Atlanta, resting his ailing right biceps.
“He's available off the bench to hit,” Cubs manager David Ross said after announcing the injury, “but I'm going to try to stay away from him and see if we can calm that bicep down a little bit.”
Bryant has been playing through the biceps discomfort for about a week now, according to Ross. Bryant initially irritated his arm on a throw in cold weather during the Cubs’ last home stand.
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Bryant has been receiving treatment since, Ross said, but on Tuesday, the injury was “starting to bark a little bit.” The Cubs will reevaluate Bryant on Wednesday.
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Bryant has arguably been the Cubs’ best qualified hitter this season, leading the team in batting average (.289), on-base percentage (.375) and slugging percentage (.618).
In Bryant’s absence, Matt Duffy is starting at third base, and the Cubs are playing a more traditional outfield of Ian Happ, Jake Marisnick and Jason Heyward.
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Bryant primarily plays third base, but since Cubs left fielder Joc Pederson went to the 10-day injured list last week, Bryant has made six consecutive starts in the outfield.
The Cubs face the Braves Tuesday at 6:20 p.m. CST in the second contest of a four-game series.