Javy Baez Back in Cubs Lineup After Missing Time Due to Injury
By Sean Facey
Breathe easy, Cubs fans, your franchise shortstop is back in action.
Chicago Cubs star Javier Baez will return to the lineup for Wednesday night's game against the Philadelphia Phillies after he was kept out of the starting lineup in the previous two games due to a heel injury.
Baez (heel) back in starting lineup for Cubs https://t.co/H25MmIOb4I
— Rotoworld Baseball (@Rotoworld_BB) May 22, 2019
Baez did make a pinch-hit appearance on Tuesday in which he saw just one pitch, poking it into the outfield for a walk-off single. Not a bad efficiency rating.
He's undoubtedly been one of the league's biggest stars in the first two months of the year, posting a .959 OPS and slugging 11 home runs through his first 45 games.
His return eases pressure on fellow stars such as Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo.
If you don’t know how much Javier Baez means to this Cubs team, this picture tells it all.
— Cubs Live (@Cubs_Live) May 20, 2019
Javy went down with an ankle injury after making a nice play and the whole team (infield/outfield) gathered around him to make sure he was okay. pic.twitter.com/xcAO9qm6Bx
His 32 runs batted in are also tied with Bryant for the team lead.
Baez's presence both on defense and the team's league-leading offense, which struggled to produce in his brief absence, are absolutely imperative to the Cubs' success this season.
Hopefully for the Cubs, this injury doesn't precipitate anything down the road, and Baez will slide back into the lineup without a hitch.