Injury Update: Addison Russell Will Test Shoulder By Throwing Friday, Could Pinch Hit
Addison Russell, who was scratched from Wednesday’s start and is still out of the lineup today (Friday), said he could probably play if needed. He’ll throw prior to the game and the results will go a long way toward determining whether he plays at all during the Cardinals series.
He and the Cubs training staff would rather be cautious for now, especially since the season is still so young. We’ll know more by gametime, but the most recent update we have says Russell is available to pinch hit tonight.
Addison Russell is available to pinch hit tonight.
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) May 12, 2017
When healthy, Russell remains one of the league’s brightest shortstops and PECOTA’s most likely breakout candidate. He was on track to “breaking out” at the start of the year, too. Presumably, the nagging shoulder injury has influenced the lower offensive numbers as of late. Russell’s wOBA is .284 at this point, but Steamer projects him to come back up to .319 by season’s end.