Cubs' Marisnick doesn't think hamstring will be a long-term problem
Jake Marisnick missed a big chunk of last season with a hamstring injury while playing for the New York Mets.
So another hamstring problem and a trip to the injured list might sound like a familiar, frustrating story. But Marisnick sounded optimistic when he spoke to reporters before Tuesday's game in Cleveland.
"I think the hard part with last year was with the shortened season, not having enough time when you're dealing with something like this to get it all the way right, then you're kind of fighting an uphill battle," he said. "I think the good things with this year is you have time, you can properly rehab and get everything right.
"I'm not overly concerned with it. It's been a little tight, tried to really dig in and get to that ball in left-center and felt it go a little more than I would like. Overall, pretty optimistic that this will be something we can take care of and get back to rolling."
Marisnick suffered the injury in the first inning of Sunday's loss to Pittsburgh and left the game immediately. Last year, he was injured five games into the season, missed a month and then went back on the injured list late, playing a total of 16 games.
"You've just got to go with what the body tells you," he said. "Taking it slow and making sure it's 100 percent. I don't have a timeline, but I can tell you I feel better today than a did yesterday."
After joining the Cubs as a free agent, Marisnick has been a nice spark. He's hitting .264 with 4 home runs in part-time action. Depth has been an important part of the Cubs' recent improvement, with guys like Marisnick, Matt Duffy and Eric Sogard taking on larger roles.
"If you look around at some of the past championship teams, that's what they have," Marisnick said. "They have guys on the bench that can contribute at any moment. Every good team needs that. We definitely have that going right now.
"You've seen it, we're a little banged up and got guys playing in different roles and it's moving seamlessly. There's not a big drop-off anywhere. You get a team that can do that, it's going to be a fun summer and I think we're all looking forward to it."
Twitter: @McGrawDHBulls