'I'm waiting for the full report to come out': Maddon says he's read blog post by Russell's ex-wife

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday he has finally read the blog post of Melisa Reidy, the ex-wife of shortstop Addison Russell.

In the blog, posted last week on Instagram, Reidy accused Russell of domestic abuse. After publication of the post, Major League Baseball last Friday placed Russell on administrative leave pending an investigation. Administrative leave is for up to seven days, but it can be extended.

Until Wednesday, Maddon had said he hadn't read the post, drawing criticism from some quarters.

“I did eventually read the blog,” Maddon said. “And my stance has not changed. Domestic violence is horrible. Absolutely it is. By reading that, you feel her pain absolutely. But at the end of the day, there's really nothing that I'm able to do.

“This is in the hands of MLB and the players union, period. That was my initial stance, and that is my stance. It's horrible to think what that lady's gone through, absolutely. But don't know enough about the other side. I'm waiting for the full report to come out, and then we could all draw conclusions at that point.”

Maddon added he had not read Ken Rosenthal's report in The Athletic that MLB has “”additional credible information” that Russell had abused Reidy.

“The league's investigation includes interviews with Reidy and numerous other witnesses and with officials gathering additional information since Russell went on leave,” Rosenthal wrote.

Maddon said he did receive a text from Russell.

“He actually did text me yesterday, Addy did, and just wanted to encourage us to continue to play well,” Maddon said. “That was the gist of his text. That was pretty much it: he's watching, go get 'em, good luck. That was the text that I got. But that was it.”

Bruised but OK:

Kris Bryant, who suffered a left-wrist bruise after being hit with a pitch Tuesday, was not in Wednesday night's starting lineup, but Joe Maddon said Bryant was OK.

It's sore,” Maddon said. “It's sore but it's not as swollen as you thought it was going to be. I just said, 'Come tell me what you're able to do. Even if it's pinch run, (it) could be helpful.' Walking by him in the hallway, we chatted for a bit. It's sore like you would anticipate. But he thought the swelling wasn't as heavy as we anticipated.”