The Chicago Cubs appear to be a near-lock for the playoffs, as they currently occupy the National League’s top wild card spot and sit five games ahead of the New York Mets, the team in possession of the third spot. But as of Sept. 8, the Cubs still have yet to officially clinch a postseason berth.
Until that happens, one of the worst things the club could do is put its star players, especially those already injured, in a position where they may need to spend even more time off the diamond. One of those players is Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is not on the Cubs’ injured list but has been closely monitored since fouling a pitch off his knee on Saturday.
The Cubs, now in the midst of the final month of regular-season play, aren’t taking any chances when it comes to Crow-Armstrong’s status for October.
Cubs staff remaining ‘cautious’ with Crow-Armstrong as regular season draws to close
The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney wrote that Crow-Armstrong appeared to be in good spirits the day after painful foul tip, which led to him being taking him out of the game following the sixth inning of the Cubs’ 2-1 defeat to the Washington Nationals.
“Pete Crow-Armstrong gave a thumbs-up while walking through the Wrigley Field clubhouse Sunday morning, signaling that he wasn’t worried about his right knee,” Mooney wrote. “The Chicago Cubs, though, are treating their All-Star center fielder with caution.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell doubled down on that assertion ahead of the game — which resulted in another defeat to the Nationals, this time by a 6-3 score, as Crow-Armstrong looked on from the bench.
“PCA came in actually feeling pretty good,” Counsell said. “He’s still a little sore today, but we’re going to get him moving around today, which is a good sign. We’ll see how that feels.”
The Cubs received an encouraging sign regarding Crow-Armstrong’s health on Monday, as he is set to return to the club’s starting lineup as a designated hitter. With 28 home runs, 85 RBIs, 32 stolen bases, a .254 batting average and a .789 OPS in tow, Crow-Armstrong will be a welcome addition to the team’s offense as it begins a three-game series against the Atlanta Braves.
