Strained rib cage shelves Chicago Cubs' Schwarber

Cubs rookie Kyle Schwarber may go a little crazy this weekend.

Schwarber will have to sit on the bench and watch as the Chicago Cubs take on the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs say Schwarber has a "mild" right-rib-cage strain and that he could miss three to five games. The team will re-evaluate Schwarber in St. Louis, where they begin a key three-game series Labor Day.

Schwarber, 22, injured himself taking swings in the batting cage before Wednesday afternoon's series finale against the Cincinnati Reds. He was a late lineup scratch from Wednesday's game.

An MRI taken Wednesday revealed the strain, according to the team.

"It's nothing to rush," Schwarber said Friday morning. "I don't want to hurt the team in any way possible if I get reinjured. I don't want to hurt myself."

Schwarber, a catcher-outfielder who made his major-league debut in June, has a batting line of .270/.365/.552 with 13 homers and 38 RBI in 48 games.

"It is hard because you want to be out there," he said. "You want to help this team win. We're in a playoff race right now. It is a little bit frustrating. That's part of the game. You have to let your body heal and make sure you're 100 percent."

Schwarber said he did not fear a more serious injury, such as an oblique strain, which currently has right fielder Jorge Soler on the disabled list.

"We got the doctor's opinion on it," Schwarber said. "He said let it rest for a couple days, and we'll re-evaluate then.

"It's going to be antsy. But I'm going to be a good teammate. I've got to be. I'm going to cheer these guys on and be a good teammate."

For the second straight game, the Cubs started Austin Jackson in right field while playing Chris Coghlan in left. The Cubs obtained Jackson in a trade with the Seattle Mariners this past Monday.

"We'll just wait a couple days and let it cool down and try to figure out exactly where it's taking us, said manager Joe Maddon. "You talk to him (Schwarber), and he wants to play today, of course. We're just going to chill a little bit right now and figure it out and move on from there. But we don't anticipate too bad."