Kris Bryant is out of the Chicago Cubs lineup for the fourth straight game, but I still won't hit the panic button. He saw a doctor yesterday and then took batting practice. The team said he's passed all concussion tests and are taking it day-by-day, waiting until Bryant feels ready.
Well, I'm going to stay positive here and say that his new-look helmet is the reason he's not in the lineup Friday. Bryant was once again hitting on the field before today's game against the Milwaukee Brewers and Cubs analyst Doug Glanville took this picture of the third baseman, who now has a face guard on his helmet.
So, maybe Bryant is just testing it out in BP, trying to get comfortable with the face guard added to his helmet and that's why he's still not in the lineup.
That being said, even the most optimistic fan has to expect Bryant to be a little jittery when he comes back. I mean, he was hit on the freaking head. Bryant is off to a great start, .319/.467/.536, and had more walks (13) than strikeouts (12) in 19 games. There have been several players that have added the face guard to their helmet even without having an incident like Bryant did. Bryant's teammate, Javier Baez, started to wear a face guard in 2016, after having some dental work done. He said he opted for the protective flap as a preventative measure, wanting to avoid any injury if he were ever hit on the face or head. Jason Heyward also has the flap on his helmet and he got that added to his helmet after a pitch hit his face and broke his jaw in 2013, with the Atlanta Braves. Heyward missed one month after getting surgery. So, let's just hope Bryant is only out again today and is just getting used to the face guard. Meanwhile, rookie David Bote is starting at third base today.
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