Breathe easy, Cubs fans. El Mago should be back in the starting lineup for Wednesday's series finale against the Miami Marlins.
Javy Baez had to leave Monday night's blowout win with a groin issue after doing the splits on a throw from Kris Bryant at second base earlier in the contest.
Baez was in good spirts before Tuesday night's game, joking about how he's not as flexible as Anthony Rizzo (who routinely does the splits at first base) and explained it was more of a cramp that cropped up rather than a serious injury.
Baez said he was trying to lobby to play in Tuesday's game but manager Joe Maddon opted to give his star second baseman the night off before throwing him back in the lineup for Wednesday's day game against a left-handed Miami pitcher.
"I feel better," Baez said. "Came here early today, went out there and I ran, stretched, talked to a trainer, talked to Joe. Everything is good.
"It wasn't that painful. I was just sore and getting a little cramp. The cramp didn't stay there for long, so everything's good."
The 25-year-old is enjoying a breakout season at the plate, putting his self-appointed title as a slow starter to rest. He entered play Tuesday leading the National League with 32 RBI to go with 10 homers, a .285 batting average and a .979 OPS.
MLB
However, Baez has also made 8 errors already in 30 games, including 3 miscues in 8 games at shortstop. Of course, he's also made a bunch of eye-popping plays on the infield, but the mistakes have been head-scratching.
"I'm just trying to do my best," Baez said. "I'm impressed in my start, even in a bad way. I already have 8 errors trying to get a Gold Glove. It's all about making adjustments and going out there and practicing and getting better at it."
Baez casually slipped in the part about a Gold Glove, but that's clearly something both he and the Cubs are shooting for. Last year, Maddon kept saying how there should be a "utlity player" Gold Glove for guys that don't play just one position.
Baez one of the most dynamic fielders in the game with incredible instincts, a voracious appetitie to get to every ball hit anywhere near him and elite physical tools.
But in the past, he has moved around too much and hasn't really been considered an everyday player, so the rest of the league hasn't noticed when it comes to Gold Glove time.
Now that he is playing second base on a daily basis and the bat has caught up to his defense and baserunning, 2018 very well could be the year Baez is finally recognized on a national level for his glove, only to see a slow start halt any momentum of that before it could get going.
"I've been making errors, but the next day, I'm out there taking ground balls and trying to get better."
It's those mistakes that are still holding Baez back, but his potential as an elite all-around player is tantalizing.
Defense isn't supposed to slump, but Baez admitted it may be part concentration lapse and part thinking too much.
"Javy plays such a slow game. I mean that in a highly complimentary way," Maddon said about Baez earlier in the season. "On defense and on the bases, the game is very slow for him. He sees everything, he analyzes everything.
"...I think to really perform at a high rate, you need to have a slow mind. Things don't get too quick. You're able to process the moment really clearly and that permits you to see. When your mind gets too quick, you can't see things clearly."
Nobody could've predicted that as Baez ascends to the next level offensively, somehow his defense would take a step back. But his bat has been so good, he has forced the issue on playing time and worked his way into the lineup on an everyday basis.
After challenging for the NL Player of the Month in April, he experienced a mini-slump before rebounding with a homer in his last three games, driving in 6 runs in the process.
His strikeout rate has dropped dramatically — down to 19.8 percent from a career rate of 28.4 percent — and he doesn't have as many of those wild, out of control swings anymore.
"I think he's consistently more under control," president of baseball operations Theo Epstein said. "When he takes a big swing, it's a one-pitch correction. He gets back to maybe he'll keep his foot on the ground or maybe he'll be a little bit quieter in his load.
"It's an instant adjustment and he's seeming to be in such a controlled, aggressive stance that when he gets his pitch, he's putting a good swing on it and not missing it."