Cubs' Heyward, Russell taking it slow with injuries
ST. LOUIS - A pair of Cubs tested out injuries Friday at Busch Stadium.
Outfielder Jason Heyward, who is on the 10-day disabled list, took some "dry swings" to get a handle on a finger sprain on his right hand.
Shortstop Addison Russell, who is still on the active list, did some throwing to test a sore right shoulder that has been bothering him for a few days.
Heyward is eligible to come off the DL on May 16.
"I would say it's more localized now," said Heyward, who injured himself diving for a ball on the last homestand. "It's in the knuckle. Before, it was running through the whole ligament. Slowly but surely. I just keep coming back with, 'See how it is day-to-day, and see how this (swinging) treats me.'"
Russell last played in Tuesday's doubleheader at Colorado.
"It's feeling a lot better," he said. "Go out with the team today and play some catch. It's my first day in two or three days. We'll see how it feels. During treatment, it feels fine. Go out there and test it a little a little bit. I talked to Joe (manager Maddon). Today was a day I really wanted to play, but I think we both feel that it's better if we just take this slow. Its still early in the season. You don't want the stuff to linger or get worse."
Russell added that he didn't think the injury was worth of the DL yet.
Maddon said he wanted to be "overly cautious" with it.
Late lineup scratch:
Kris Bryant was a last-minute lineup scratch Friday night because the Cubs said he will feeling ill with a stomach problem. Bryant was scheduled to play right field and bat second. Jon Jay replaced Bryant. Jay left the game in the second inning and was replaced by Tommy La Stella, who played second base with Ben Zobrist moving from second base to right field. Jay left with spasms in his mid-back, according to the Cubs.
Happ is happening:
Top prospect Ian Happ is hot again at Iowa. In his first four games off the disabled list through Thursday, Happ was 7-for-15 with 2 doubles, a homer and 7 RBI. For the season entering Friday, Happ had a line of .283/.351/.606 with 9 homers and 24 RBI.
The Cubs recently recalled infielder Jeimer Candelario. There appears to be no rush with Happ, the team's top draft pick from 2015.
He is seeing time in both the infield and the outfield.
"He's played great," said general manager Jed Hoyer. "He's played half a season in Double-A and the Fall League. Now he's been a month-and-a-half in Triple-A. There is certainly development there. I love the way he's swinging the bat. I don't want to say he's opening anyone's eyes because I think he did that in spring training. Certainly he's continued that and had really good at-bats, and obviously we'll let him keep developing down there."