Ben

Zobrist

The outfield for the Cubs against Trevor Bauer and the Indians will be Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora, and Ben Zobrist getting a start in right. Happ has struck out 54 times in 39 games, but still is slashing .254/.361/.509 with seven homers.

Zobrist has not made a formal announcement, though for all intents and purposes, the 38-year-old appears to be hanging up his cleats. One of the most versatile players in baseball throughout his prime, the three-time All-Star hit a respectable .267 with 167 homers, 768 RBI and 116 steals over 1,652 appearances for the Rays, Royals, Cubs and Athletics. The long-time utility player also won a pair of World Series rings including in 2016 when he earned MVP honors for the Cubs. Zobrist played sparingly in 2019 (150 at-bats), taking an extended leave of absence while tending to a messy divorce.

Zobrist missed the majority of the 2019 season while dealing with a very public and messy divorce, and wasn’t very effective when he was on the field. The 38-year-old utilityman could potentially still be a valuable bench piece on a contending team, but so far it doesn’t appear that he has had any lucrative offers.

Zobrist missed a large chunk of the 2019 season while dealing with a very public divorce and he posted a weak .671 OPS with just one home run in 47 games when he was an active member of the Cubs’ roster. The 38-year-old free agent utilityman is working out every day, per Heyman, but there probably won’t be any lucrative offers out there for him this winter and he might opt to hang up his cleats anyway.

X-rays came back negative after Bryant sprained his right ankle on a wet first base bag on Sunday, but it’s unclear when he’ll be ready to return. Ian Happ will start at the hot corner while Ben Zobrist will bat third.

The 38-year-old utility man tagged Pirates’ starter James Marvel for a solo shot in the third inning, increasing the Cubs’ advantage to 5-0. Zobrist also singled and walked in the contest, finishing the day 2-for-2 with a pair of runs scored. On the season, he’s now slashing .266/.364/.312 with the one home run and 13 RBI.

Zobrist is currently dealing with a knee bruise, but he was able to come off the bench to give the Cubs a 4-0 lead with his fielder’s choice. It gives the veteran 12 RBI in his 107 at-bats, and he should be back in the starting lineup for the Cubs shortly.

Zobrist is out with a bruise in his knee, but it sounds like his absence is just precautionary. The switch-hitting infielder/outfielder should be back in the lineup before the end of the weekend if he can’t go on Thursday.

Welcome back, Zo. Returned from a nearly four-month-long absence to deal with off-field issues related to his personal life, the 38-year-old has immediately been inserted into the leadoff spot and has paid immediate dividends. He’s now got four hits in six at-bats, along with drawing three walks, in his first two games back, scoring five runs in the process. The Cubs’ leadoff spot has been a wasteland without Zobrist this year, collectively hitting .203/.283/.376 from the top spot, so Zobrist appears to have a pretty long leash as well. If he’s available in your league, now is the time to pounce.

Zobrist was just activated by the Cubs after missing nearly four months while dealing with the fallout from his divorce. He hasn’t played in a game since May 7, but the Cubs are ready to throw him in the middle of a playoff race.