Dansby

Swanson

It sounds like there’s a strong possibility Swanson will return for Friday’s series opener against the Reds. The 32-year-old veteran shortstop has been out with an oblique strain since mid-August. His impending return likely pushes rookie Pedro Ramírez back into a part-time role with Nico Hoerner shifting back to second base.

He’ll go on a short rehab assignment to Triple-A Iowa and then return to close out the series and be ready for the playoffs. The Cubs have mostly played Pedro Ramírez while Swanson has been sidelined, but $100 million shortstops will be lineup fixtures and Ramírez will likely see his role reduced after hitting .192/.259/.342 with three homers and zero stolen bases over his last 20 games.

It sounds like there’s a decent chance that Swanson is back for the final week of the regular season after getting a couple rehab contests under his belt. The 32-year-old shortstop hit the injured list with an oblique strain back in mid-August.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters that Swanson has been diagnosed with a Grade 2 oblique strain and they’re hoping that he’s able to return in roughly four weeks. The 32-year-old veteran has graded out as a top-10 fantasy option this season, hitting .216/.300/.404 with 78 runs scored, 18 homers, 66 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 458 plate appearances. It sounds like there’s a decent chance that he’s ready for the start of the postseason, if the Cubs make it that far. It’ll be Nico Hoerner taking over at shortstop with rookie Pedro Ramírez seeing the bulk of the playing time at second base.

Swanson left Sunday’s game with an oblique injury. Pedro Ramírez will likely become the Cubs’ primary second baseman while Swanson is out, with Nico Hoerner moving to shortstop. Kevin Alcántara could rejoin the team as a bench player until Matt Shaw is ready to come off the IL.

Swanson was hurt on a swing and a miss in the third inning. We’re just speculating, but it seems pretty likely that he’ll go on the IL, which would probably make Pedro Ramírez a true regular and worthy of a roster spot in mixed leagues for at least a couple of weeks.

Swanson swung and missed at a pitch and then doubled over in pain. It wasn’t clear what the issue was exactly, but we’ll know more soon. The seldom-used James Triantos replaced him, with Nico Hoerner moving from second to short.

Swanson’s home run was his 18th of the year. He hit a solo shot off Nationals reliever Trevor Williams in the eighth inning. The home run was just Swanson’s second in 24 games in the second half so far. He’s hitting .216 with a .703 OPS and 66 RBI.

Swanson tied the game at 1-1 with a solo homer off Tarik Skubal in the third frame. He also doubled — his 23rd — and singled to improve his average to .219 on the campaign. He’s picked up five hits in his last two games, and fantasy managers should be well aware of just how streaky Swanson can be.

Despite mostly hitting ninth and only once hitting higher than sixth in the Cubs lineup, Swanson is tied for 15th in the majors in runs scored with 63 runs scored. Imagine if he had better than a .296 OBP.