UPDATE:
Schwarber has a full torn ACL and LCL
— Jesse Rogers (@ESPNChiCubs) April 8, 2016
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UPDATE:
A lot of concern within the Cubs organization today about Kyle Schwarber's injury, and there is more concern about his knee than his ankle.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) April 8, 2016
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The Chicago Cubs are anxiously waiting on the MRI results for Kyle Schwarber's ankle after the youngster collided with Dexter Fowler in the outfield Thursday night. The left fielder's initial X-rays were negative, but an MRI is scheduled for Friday.
Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Jean Segura hit a shot to left center field as Schwarber and Fowler hustled to track down the ball. However, the two seemingly failed to communicate, and Fowler dove for the ball and took out Schwarber's legs in what was a nasty spill for the left fielder. Check it out below:
Schwarber was clearly in agony after the play and the Cubs' medical staff, as well as manager Joe Maddon, rushed out to give him the proper attention. He was carted off the field shortly after. The team announced on Twitter that Schwarber was diagnosed with a left ankle sprain. Carrie Muskat of MLB.com was the first to report that he was going for an MRI on Friday, and the Cubs retweeted her report.
Schwarber would be an enormous loss for the Cubs, but the good thing is that the team has ample outfield depth and could probably take its time bringing him back to full strength. After he went down in the second inning last night, Chicago managed to score 12 more runs throughout the course of the game to defeat Arizona 14-6.
If his ankle injury turns out to be a bit more serious than the Cubs expected, there will probably be no dearth of offense. Schwarber has yet to collect a hit this year (he's 0-for-4 with a a walk and two strikeouts), and the team has still scored 29 runs (second in MLB) on 34 hits and 17 walks. The club is batting .298 with a .920 OPS.
Chicago also has Jorge Soler and Matt Szczur, as well as Javier Baez, who could be back relatively soon, so the team has no shortage of outfielders in the event of Schwarber needing some extra time to nurse his ankle.
Something like this will only improve the Cubs depth, as other players will receive more time on the field and be better prepared in future situations.
