Addison Russell's Latest Admission Proves the Cubs Need to Play Him as Little as Possible

The Chicago Cubs were victorious on Saturday against the San Diego Padres, but it wasn't because of the on-field play of Addison Russell. There were baserunning and fielding mistakes on his end, as well as a lack of attentiveness throughout the game.

To his credit, Russell admitted and took blame for these problems, but the comments he made are simply baffling.

“You have to know the situation in the game and what the score is,” Russell told ESPN's Jesse Rogers. “You have to know where the ball is, too, and where the fielders are playing as well. You can’t be too anxious to get to the next base.

“Being aggressive on the basepaths does have its advantages and also its disadvantages.”

If Russell stopped there it would've been fine, but then he gave us this gem of an admission.

“Also, not missing signs as well,” Russell said. “Stay on top of those. Remind myself, I need to become more familiar with the signs as well. So there’s no gap there. You know exactly what’s being put on so you can do your job more efficient.”

Wait, he doesn't know the signs? I know they are a little more complex at the highest level, but learning the signs is something kids do on the Little League teams. Oh, and you're being paid to know them. Oh, and you've been a pro for FIVE years.

As you can imagine, Cubs manager Joe Maddon isn't pleased.

Mistakes happen and you can glance over them if the player is being aggressive. But there's a time and place to do that, and hearing a player admit that he doesn't know the signs and isn't always paying attention to game situations is troubling.

You can make the argument that the Cubs should've cut bait with Russell when the domestic violence incident with his ex-wife came out. If that doesn't move the needle enough, Russell not knowing simple things on the baseball field should give him a seat on the bench more often.