When the scary collision between Chicago Cubs outfielders Kyle Schwarber and Dexter Fowler took place in Arizona, many were holding their breath when the young star, Schwarber, was carted off the field. Cubs' faithful could breathe a sigh of relief when initial x-rays after the game were negative, although did reveal a severely sprained ankle.
The news got worse for the Cubs again on Friday, when the team began to worry that the injury to the outfielder's knee was more serious. They were unfortunately correct, as it was announced that Schwarber will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL and LCL as a result of the nasty spill.
The 23-year-old was coming off an impressive rookie year last season, hitting 16 home runs and knocking in 43 in 69 games despite the .246 average. He was drafted fourth overall in 2014 and was listed as the team's backup catcher, and was scheduled to get the start back there Friday against the Diamondbacks.
Munenori Kawasaki will take Schwarber's roster spot, with Jorge Soler being bumped up as the new starting left fielder. Tommy La Stella was listed as an option in left field by manager Joe Maddon, as well as third baseman Kris Bryant.
The injury occurred in the second inning of Thursday's game, when Fowler and Schwarber were chasing down a Jean Segura fly ball in left-center field. The center fielder, Fowler, would stumble, making contact with Schwarber's legs on his way down.
Maddon knows how big of a blow this is for the World Series-favorite Cubs. After the game, despite the young outfielder being optimistic about the injury, Maddon claimed "It had bad things written all over it." He would later go on to say "I'd rather see the ball go over the fence, we'd be fine."
Instead, in the middle of a red-hot 3-0 start to the season, the Cubs will be without one of the young catalysts of a postseason run last season, and what is going to be another October run this year.
The news got worse for the Cubs again on Friday, when the team began to worry that the injury to the outfielder's knee was more serious. They were unfortunately correct, as it was announced that Schwarber will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL and LCL as a result of the nasty spill.
The 23-year-old was coming off an impressive rookie year last season, hitting 16 home runs and knocking in 43 in 69 games despite the .246 average. He was drafted fourth overall in 2014 and was listed as the team's backup catcher, and was scheduled to get the start back there Friday against the Diamondbacks.
Munenori Kawasaki will take Schwarber's roster spot, with Jorge Soler being bumped up as the new starting left fielder. Tommy La Stella was listed as an option in left field by manager Joe Maddon, as well as third baseman Kris Bryant.
The injury occurred in the second inning of Thursday's game, when Fowler and Schwarber were chasing down a Jean Segura fly ball in left-center field. The center fielder, Fowler, would stumble, making contact with Schwarber's legs on his way down.
Maddon knows how big of a blow this is for the World Series-favorite Cubs. After the game, despite the young outfielder being optimistic about the injury, Maddon claimed "It had bad things written all over it." He would later go on to say "I'd rather see the ball go over the fence, we'd be fine."
Instead, in the middle of a red-hot 3-0 start to the season, the Cubs will be without one of the young catalysts of a postseason run last season, and what is going to be another October run this year.
