CHICAGO -- Dansby Swanson removed his helmet and immediately threw it to the dirt at his feet as he exited the batter’s box in clear discomfort on Sunday afternoon. Moments later, the Cubs' shortstop knew he had to exit the game against the Cardinals.
It was a concerning scene within an 11-4 loss at Wrigley Field, where Swanson swung and missed at a first-pitch fastball from St. Louis’ Hunter Dobbins to begin the home half of the third inning. Following that whiff, Swanson grimaced in pain, left the field and on Monday was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain.
“It just felt like my left side kind of tightened up on me,” Swanson said. “It obviously was enough where I didn’t feel like I needed to keep going.”
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said the team knew after Sunday’s game that the injury was “severe enough” to require the trip to the IL. On Monday morning, an MRI exam revealed a left oblique strain and Swanson is expected to miss at least four weeks due to the injury. That leaves the door open for a possible return before the postseason.
“Dansby’s already ready to attack the injury,” Counsell said, “and do whatever he can to make this go as quick as possible.”
Still, it is a tough setback for a Chicago team that leads the National League Wild Card field, but is trying to chase down the Brewers in the Central.
“I’m sure it’s going to be incredibly frustrating for him,” Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner said. “And it’s an injury that, unfortunately, you can’t try harder to get through. It really does need time. Obliques are pretty frustrating. But, he’s going to continue to be a part of this group and impacting winning soon again, I’m hoping.”
Swanson is one of the anchors of a Cubs' defense that entered Sunday leading the Majors in both fielding run value (63) and outs above average (59), per Statcast. The second-ranked teams in those respective categories were the Blue Jays (34) and Cardinals (31). For his part, Swanson has a 12 FRV (eighth in MLB among all qualified fielders) and 16 OAA (fifth overall).
While Swanson is out, Hoerner -- a two-time Gold Glover at second base -- will take over at shortstop. That was the case on Sunday, when Hoerner moved to the other side of the infield, while rookie James Triantos came off the bench to play second. Counsell said rookie Pedro Ramírez will be in line for starts at second while Swanson is sidelined.
Versatile utility man Matt Shaw, who is currently on the 10-day IL due to a left hand injury, might be ready to begin a Minor League rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, per Counsell. That would offer another layer of depth for second, shortstop and third base. In the meantime, the Cubs selected the contract of Owen Miller from Iowa, so he can offer protection all around the infield.
Having a defender of Hoerner’s caliber capable of playing shortstop at a high level helps the situation.
“Obviously, Dansby has been an incredibly durable player,” Counsell said, “and we have not needed to use it very much, but this is something else that Nico brings to the table. And that’s an important thing that he brings to the table. It’s obviously going to be highlighted in the next couple weeks.”
Swanson was confident the Cubs’ defense would not miss a beat.
“There’s not really a better group in the world to handle something like this,” Swanson said, “just with the depth of players we have, the quality of players we have, the ability for guys to play multiple positions at Gold Glove level. We never want injuries to happen, but this is part of the game.
“We’ve done a good job of just building a good group together that can be strong and unified and can handle anything.”
Hoerner said it is not that simple.
“There’s no replacing Dansby,” Hoerner said. “It just stinks. Yeah, I think our team’s in a good place to handle it, but I think you’re also going to feel just how valuable Dansby is in his absence, right? That’s a hard thing to cover.”
Through 119 games this season, the 32-year-old Swanson has hit .216/.300/.404 with 18 home runs, 16 doubles, 66 RBIs and 17 stolen bases for the North Siders. Dating back to June 29, when Swanson took off following a three-game run with five homers and eight hits, he has posted a .489 slugging percentage and .815 OPS for the Cubs.
Swanson said he was hoping for some good news to come out of Monday’s testing, but he was prepared to find other ways to help his team in the weeks ahead.
“Obviously, I want to be out there every day,” Swanson said. “I think kind of my whole career I’ve been like that -- just wanting to play and do everything I can to win. In the meantime, people call me ‘Coach’ for a reason, so I can find some fun ways to be useful.”