Addison Russell left during Sunday's 2-0 win for the Chicago Cubs over the New York Mets with a sprained middle finger and it now looks like he'll be headed to the DL.
The Cubs had Monday off and Russell still wasn't ready to go for Tuesday's series-opener against the Philadelphia Phillies at Wrigley Field. The Cubs shortstop was scheduled to have an MRI on his finger and on Wednesday manager Joe Maddon said the team would know more later on in the day.
Well, Chicago Sun-Times reporter Gordon Wittenmyer reported the Cubs are still monitoring Russell's situation and if a DL move is made, then infielder David Bote would most likely be called up.
A stint on the DL seems even more likely as Tommy Birch, the Iowa Cubs beat reporter, says Bote is no longer on the active roster for the Triple-A squad. That most likely means Bote is on his way to Chicago.
Again, nothing official as of yet, but it certainly appears like Bote will be with the Cubs, with Russell heading to the DL. Bote was up with the Cubs earlier this season and played in eight games. He went 5-for-19, with two doubles, five RBIs and scored once in his brief call up to the show. Down at Triple-A, Bote has an .846 OPS in 37 games, with eight home runs and a .275 batting average in 149 at-bats. The Cubs will still have plenty of flexibility if Bote comes up, as he can play all infield positions. Meanwhile, the injury for Russell comes at a bad time, as he's been pretty damn good during the past month. Russell has a .313/.396/.450 slash line in the last 30 days after a slow start in March and April. As for Wednesday's lineup, Javier Baez is starting at shortstop.
We'll keep you updated if the Cubs do place Russell on the DL.
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