Cubs place Bellinger on IL with two rib fractures

The outlook seemed promising for Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger on Tuesday night after he crashed into the wall, then again Wednesday morning when the pain in his side had subsided.

But a CT scan showed two fractured ribs on the right side, so Bellinger went on the injured list Wednesday, before the Cubs played Houston. Pete Crow-Armstrong will be called up and was expected to arrive at Wrigley Field shortly before game time.

“He woke up feeling good,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said of Bellinger. “He was encouraged how he woke up feeling. He was like, 'I think I kind of dodged something.' Unfortunately, (the CT scan) just revealed what's there.”

After Tuesday's game, Bellinger said he felt a dull pain, which he thought was a good sign. X-rays were negative, Counsell said that night.

But the Cubs will endure another key player going on the injured list. Already this season, they've had Justin Steele, Jameson Taillon, Seiya Suzuki, Julian Merryweather, Kyle Hendricks, Drew Smyly and Patrick Wisdom miss time.

Counsell didn't have an estimate for how long Bellinger will be sidelined. In the meantime, center field will likely feature a mix of Mike Tauchman and Crow-Armstrong, who was hitting .203 at Triple A Iowa.

This was a wind-related injury. Bellinger went to the wall to catch a windblown flyball from Houston's Yanier Diaz in the fourth inning. As Bellinger hit the brick wall, the ball bounced out of his glove, off the wall and went for an RBI double. Two batters earlier, Kyle Tucker hit a flyball that carried over Bellinger's head. Bellinger stayed in the game after the wall collision but left after the sixth inning.

“I didn't understand how different the park can play every single day and how challenging it can be for fielders on a daily basis in different ways,” Counsell said of the changing weather at Wrigley. “From that perspective the park, the weather, hopefully it gives you an advantage because as the home team, we experience it more.”

Counsell said Suzuki is progressing well from an oblique strain. He started swinging a bat on Monday and will continue baseball activities during the upcoming road trip. If all goes well, Suzuki could be ready for a rehab assignment by the time the Cubs return home.

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