Maddon not sure how he'll use Zobrist if and when he returns to Wrigley

The Ben Zobrist comeback tour resumed Thursday with the Chicago Cubs' Class AA Tennessee affiliate and continued Friday at Class AAA Iowa.

In Thursday's game, Zobrist was 1-for-2 with 3 walks and 2 runs scored. The base hit was a double.

Earlier in the week, team president Theo Epstein reiterated that Zobrist could be back "around Sept. 1." The 38-year-old infielder-outfielder has been on the restricted list since early May as he deals with family issues related to his divorce.

Manager Joe Maddon said Friday that he was unsure how Zobrist would be used when and if he comes back to the major league club. Epstein has said it would not be as an everyday player.

"I have not spoken to Theo or Jed about that," said Maddon, referring to general manager Jed Hoyer. "I've just really left that one alone. But it sounds good. If and when he comes back, we will figure that out."

Maddon said Zobrist's disciplined plate approach will be the same at any level.

"Whatever you see him doing right now, I know he's going to do right here," Maddon said. "There's not going to be any difference in that game whatsoever. He could do it at South Bend, Tennessee or Iowa, it's all going to look the same, or Chicago. He's of that ability. That's going to be a wonderful addition when it occurs. But I don't know exactly when."

Exceptions to Respect 90:

Joe Maddon's mantra of Respect 90 (as in 90 feet) is pretty much all-encompassing. However, Maddon did admit that, given the long season, there are times when not going all out can be overlooked.

"There's always a time to not see what happens," he said. "There's always a time to turn your head at the appropriate moment. There always is. I reserve the right to not see something. You know your guys. You know how they play every day.

"Not having been nearly good enough to be an everyday major league baseball player, I'll never know how difficult that is. I'll defend our guys running to first base recently and beating out double plays. They've been outstanding. Bob Clear (one of Maddon's early coaching mentors) taught me that sometimes you've just got to look the other way for that split second."

Contreras to ramp it up:

Catcher Willson Contreras continues to progress from his hamstring injury. It's likely Contreras will travel with the team next week to New York and ramp up his activities there.

Contreras went on the injured list Aug. 4, and the Cubs have said it's likely he'll miss a total of four weeks.

"He came and saw me (Thursday) before the game," said Joe Maddon. "Good look. Feels good. He's one of those guys you have to be careful with because he's going to try to go too much too soon. But everybody's optimistic right now."