Cubs rookie slugger Kyle Schwarber hasn’t appeared in a game since Tuesday due to what’s being called a mild rib cage strain. He told reporters Friday that his goal is to be ready for the start of a big three-game series against the Cardinals that will kick off Monday afternoon in St. Louis, but it doesn’t sound like that’s going to happen.
“I would say probably not, but I don’t know that,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon told Paul Sullivan at the Chicago Tribune on Saturday. “Nothing would surprise me, but mentally, preparation-wise, I would prepare to not have him available.”
One swing could easily aggravate the rib cage strain and the Cubs want to be sure Schwarber is 100 percent healthy leading into the postseason. It’s not like they have a shot at catching the Cardinals in the divisional race anyway.
Schwarber, 22, boasts a .917 OPS, 13 home runs, and 38 RBI over his first 48 major league games.
