Byrd sees return to Cubs in July
Marlon Byrd is doing so well with his recovery that he even sneaked in a little catch Wednesday at Wrigley Field.
Shhh. Don’t tell the trainers.
“They didn’t let me play catch,” he said. “That was me on my own, just me being stubborn.”
That’s a good sign for both Byrd and the Cubs.
Their starting center fielder is on the mend from a serious beaning, suffered May 21 at Boston, when he was hit in the face by a pitch from Alfredo Aceves of the Red Sox.
Byrd suffered multiple facial fractures but no lasting damage to his left eye. The area around the eye is significantly less swollen now, but the recovery could take 4-6 weeks, possibly putting him back in games sometime in July.
“Doing good,” he said. “Getting better. The eye’s fully healed. Waiting for the fractures to heal. Maybe next week I can start exerting some more energy, doing some running, doing some heavy lifting. It’s progressing.
“They’re looking 4-6 weeks, and I think that timetable is about right. You can’t rush the fractures. You have to make sure they heal.”
Byrd has said his biggest fear was losing sight in his left eye. That, he said, was the main reason he was flailing on the ground at home plate after being hit, and not because of the pain. He also said he thought about charging the mound, even as he lay on the ground injured.
“I really wanted to,” he said. “When you get hit, it’s weird. You just get mad for no reason. But the thing is, you saw me on the ground, and I started kicking because I couldn’t see out of my left eye. And then that’s when my anger focused to: ‘Am I ever going to be able to see again,’ because I was seeing all black. That’s just that fight in me. I’m a very fiery player and when I’m out there, I’m out there to battle.”
Cubs pitchers Carlos Zambrano and Kerry Wood took care of any unspoken retaliation by plunking Boston hitters during that game and the next night. Wood was fined by Major League Baseball. Byrd said he was heartened by his teammates’ response.
“I didn’t have anything to worry about,” he said. “They knew how I was when I came in. I wasn’t very pleased, I wasn’t happy about the whole situation. I know guys on this team have my back, so I’m not worried about that at all.”
Byrd added that he didn’t hear from Aceves but that he was not bothered by that. He also said he’s eager to see how he’ll react to a pitched ball coming at him again.
“I know I’ll be fine, but at the same time, you’re not sure mentally how you’re going to react,” he said. “But I’m so excited to try to get back in there and start swinging again and playing baseball because I love this. We’ll see once that first ball comes.”