Chicago Cubs shuffle rotation a bit

ST. LOUIS - The Chicago Cubs have done a slight shuffle of their starting rotation for the upcoming home series against the Cincinnati Reds.

Lefty ace Jon Lester has been moved up to Thursday's series finale, with Eddie Butler moving back to Friday's opener against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.

"Jon's throwing the ball so well," manager Joe Maddon said Sunday. "We've been trying to get these guys back on some regularity. The days off have helped. For the most part, I thought we've been able to utilize them in the method that we've matched up well with the opposition. With Eddie, we feel really good about what he did. We're just flip-flopping the days."

Butler pitched 6 scoreless innings Friday in his Cubs debut.

The Cubs are off Monday. They will send John Lackey, Kyle Hendricks and Lester against the Reds Tuesday-Thursday, respectively. The Reds will counter with Bronson Arroyo, Scott Feldman and Lisalverto Bonilla.

Injury and illness updates:

Joe Maddon said outfielder Jason Heyward probably won't come off the disabled list Tuesday, when he is eligible to do so.

Heyward has been on the 10-day DL with a sprained right finger, an injury he sustained May 5 while diving for a ball in a game against the New York Yankees.

"He's getting better," Maddon said. "We don't know the exact date, but I'm betting not Tuesday. But not far off."

Kris Bryant did not start Sunday as he continued to recover from a stomach bug that bit him right before Friday night's series opener against the Cardinals.

"KB was better, but 80 degrees, coming off the issues he's had, dehydration being a problem, I did not want to push it," Maddon said. "So it was more me talking to him as anything."

Maddon added after Sunday's 5-0 loss to the Cardinals that he's feeling "much more strongly" about Bryant playing Tuesday.

Mother's Day doings:

Joe Maddon said he took good care of his mother, Beanie, for Mother's Day.

"All her gifts have arrived," Maddon said. "The owls have arrived. I bought her, literally, 25 different Amazon packages with some sort of an owl gift. She collects owls. Twenty-five separate packages, like for instance, an owl table fan, owl shot glasses, owl wineglasses, owl scarves, owl socks, owl neon signs, owl everything."

There was one more gift.

"I got her a Fibit," he said. "I thought it was time for Beanie to have a Fit Bit, when she works out, going up and down the steps, doing the laundry."