Cubs' Wisdom goes on IL: Could wrist injury be contributing to slugger's prolonged slump?
Before Saturday's game, the Cubs activated pitcher Justin Steele from the injured list and added Patrick Wisdom to the 10-day IL with a right wrist sprain. Steele missed two starts with a left forearm strain after leaving his May 31 start after three innings.
Cubs manager David Ross said Wisdom has been dealing with a sore wrist for a couple of weeks, then aggravated the injury while diving for a line drive in left field on Friday.
"I think this makes a lot of sense," Ross said. "He'll go to London with us, be able to work in the cage. Hopefully it feels better and we can get him some at-bats to get his rhythm and timing back.
"He's an important piece, especially the way he hits lefties. You could tell yesterday he just wasn't him self still, the wrist is bothering him."
By going on the injured list, Wisdom would be able to go on a minor-league rehab assignment, if necessary, but Ross didn't expect it to be a long-term issue.
"How serious? I don't think it's surgery, but it definitely needs some medicine and some down time," Ross said. "Especially the size bat he swings and the power he brings, for sure it's important. You can tell he's off."
Wisdom battling slump:
Patrick Wisdom got off to a great start and was the catalyst behind the Cubs having one of the most dangerous offenses in MLB during April.
Since then, Wisdom has slumped badly. He's hitting .141 with 4 home runs since May 1, after posting a .250 average with 10 home runs in April. Manager David Ross can relate to going through frustrating times.
"I was telling him (Friday), we were talking through things, I remember being in Boston and I was dealing with some concussion issues," Ross said. "I think I was batting a buck-80, it was pretty bad. My swing wasn't where I wanted it to be.
"I got called into the manager's office with the GM and they told me they were going to put me on the IL, and I remember crying, thinking my teammates were going to think I'm bowing out. I stink, I'm not hitting and the emotional toll. How we're wired as baseball players, I can really relate to yesterday, 'Man, I feel like I'm bowing out of the fight because of an injury.'
"Nobody feels 100% and Wiz knows that. It is real, I think the trainers have tried to Band-Aid it for a little while now and it's not bouncing back they way he needs it to.
Pirates bus pulled over, driver charged with DUI:
There was a strange Cubs-adjacent story Thursday when a bus driver hired to take the Pirates from Chicago to Milwaukee was charged with driving under the influence.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, state police pulled the bus over on I-94 near the Dempster exit late Thursday night after the series finale at Wrigley Field.
Illinois State Police said Ronald Funderburke, 61 of Shelby, N.C., was not following the designed escort, and they initially thought he might've experienced a medical emergency. But after pulling the bus over and observing multiple signs of impairment, Funderburke was arrested.
Charter busses and their drivers typically have no affiliation with the team.
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