Cubs' Baez sits again, will undergo MRI on thumb

MILWAUKEE - Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon had two lineups ready to go for Friday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park.

One had shortstop Javier Baez in it, and the other didn't.

Baez's sore left thumb still didn't permit him to play Friday, and he will have an MRI Saturday morning. Baez jammed the thumb sliding into second base this past Sunday at Wrigley Field. He came out of that game early and has not played since.

An x-ray taken Sunday came back negative.

Maddon said the MRI would be done "just so we know what we're dealing with. I projected two lineups again today. When he came in, he tried to swing a little bit and it still didn't feel right. So as opposed to just continually waiting, we just need to find out for sure what we're dealing with. That way it should make him feel better mentally also."

With Baez getting the MRI, Maddon added it's unlikely he'll play Saturday night.

Darvish on track:

Pitcher Yu Darvish is on track to start Saturday night after being scratched from last Sunday's start because of forearm tightness.

Darvish said the tightness began in his July 3 start at Pittsburgh and that he's been managing it since.

"It's not very tight, just a little soreness," he said.

Asked what the best treatment has been, he said, smiling: "Just take a lot of medicine."

Kimbrel waits it out:

Closer Craig Kimbrel said Friday he has not picked up a baseball in "a couple days" as he deals with right-elbow inflammation.

"Let it calm down a little bit," he said. "Once I pick it up, we'll evaluate and we'll go from there. We were pleased with what we saw on the MRI."

The Cubs placed Kimbrel on the 10-day injured list Thursday. The move is retroactive to Sept. 2. He could come off the IL next Thursday.

Kimbrel was asked if he was concerned about the ailment.

"No, I think anytime you have some discomfort and you schedule that (MRI), you're going to think of it a little bit," he said. "What we got back was encouraging.

"I've been pitching in the big leagues for a few years. You don't go through one season without some kinds of ups and downs and nicks and bruises. You just try to figure out a way to navigate through it."

Cubs to call up pitcher:

The Cubs likely will select the contract of left-handed pitcher Danny Hultzen from Class AAA Iowa in time for Saturday's game. They will need to move a player off the 40-man roster to make room.

Hultzen, 29, was a first-round draft pick (second pick overall) of the Seattle Mariners in 2011. He missed two full seasons (2014 and 2017) because of left-shoulder injuries. The Cubs signed him as a minor-league contract in February 2018.

At Iowa this year, he appeared in 14 games, going 0-1 with 1.26 ERA and 3 saves.