Bryant to DL with shoulder injury; Bote recalled
Cubs hoping Darvish able to return soon; Heyward getting involved with Chicago youth program
CHICAGO -- The Cubs were concerned that Kristopher Bryant was altering his swing because of a sore left shoulder, and on Thursday, the third baseman was placed on the disabled list for the second time this season.
"He was attempting to control his finish differently," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "He may have been doing things subconsciously prior to us putting him on the DL, but then he intentionally tried to restructure a bit after it became more noticeable to him. Moving forward -- you know how he finishes so long with the one-arm finish -- there was some concern that was part of the issue. "
Bryant will get another MRI exam on his shoulder; his first MRI was in late June. Thursday's move was retroactive to Tuesday. Infielder David Bote was called up from Triple-A Iowa and was in the lineup at second base for the Cubs' walk-off 7-6 win over the D-backs in the series finale. He went 2-for-4 with a game-tying ninth-inning homer. Anthony Rizzo followed with the walk-off shot.
Bryant, 26, was first placed on the DL on June 26 because of his shoulder, which he injured when he dove into a base, and then activated July 11. He was batting .276 in 76 games this season and batting .250 since returning from the DL.
Maddon said he didn't have any specific timetable for how long Bryant would need.
Around the horn
• Bote has batted .326 with three doubles, two homers and 11 RBIs in 21 games with the Cubs.
"He's a baseball player," Maddon said of Bote. "I think that's what he's taught the rest of the industry. He swings the bat well. When he first got up, I was made aware he's better at second than third, but I've seen really good third-base play.
"He does everything right," Maddon said of the infielder. "He's very important to us now."
With Bryant sidelined indefinitely, Bote will be getting plenty of at-bats.
• Javier Baez was not in the starting lineup on Thursday in order to give him time to receive more treatment on his left knee, which he injured Tuesday night in a collision at second base. Baez knocked a pinch-hit single on Wednesday, but he was lifted for a pinch-runner.
"I watched him walking around, and he's walking better," Maddon said. "If we're able to use him, we'll use him."
Baez entered as a pinch-hitter in the sixth inning on Thursday, and he struck out but reached base on a wild pitch, which allowed a run to score. He then stayed in the game at shortstop.
• Jason Heyward is getting more involved in the community, and on Tuesday night, his Heyward Family Foundation presented a $100,000 donation to support Future Ties, a nonprofit that provides after-school academic support, mentorship, life skills and summer programming to young adults in Chicago's Woodlawn community.
"I like to give back every year," Heyward said. "This year, we wanted to hone in on some stuff in Chicago."
Future Ties was founded by Jennifer Maddox, a 20-year veteran of the Chicago Police Department.
"It gives the kids somewhere to go after school to do activities, homework, a place to go when your parents can't be there," Heyward said.
Heyward's parents, who met while going to school at Dartmouth, will be hands-on with the foundation.
"They love that stuff -- they love education and giving back and helping out," Heyward said of his parents.