Right as the Cubs and Cardinals were about to kick off their intense four-game series, Anthony Rizzo sent a shockwave through Wrigley Field.
Only four days after Rizzo suffered a badly sprained right ankle, he was spotted in full uniform out on the left field grass running and jumping around.
Just 20 minutes before the game was set to start, Rizzo was announced as the Cubs' new leadoff hitter and starting first baseman.
Rizzo was wearing a huge boot and had his right leg propped up on a scooter Monday and Tuesday, unable to put weight on the joint. He joked Monday afternoon that he's a fast healer, and apparently he has Wolverine-like healing powers.
Rizzo received a cortisone shot in that ankle Monday and has been working around the clock with the Cubs medical staff to get back on the field. The ankle is tightly taped and he cannot injure it further, so it's just a matter of pain tolerance for him.
MLB
This is invoking memories of Kyle Schwarber's shocking return to the 2016 World Series after missing nearly the entire season with a devastating knee injury.
After he went down early in Sunday's game, the Cubs were careful not to count Rizzo out for the season, but the popular refrain was they were expecting to be without one of their most important players for the rest of this homestand.
Rizzo struck out in his first at-bat and was clearly compromised trying to field a bunt in the third inning, which led to a Cardinals run. But then he hit the first pitch of his second at-bat into the left-centerfield bleachers for a game-tying home run in one of the most surreal moments of the 2019 Cubs season.
The Cubs begin the series 3 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central standings. Victor Caratini and Willson Contreras have manned first base over the last three games in Rizzo's absence.
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