Chicago Cubs

Addison Russell ‘Here to Stay' as He Returns to Wrigley Field

After being told by the team to spend Thursday away from Wrigley Field to deal with domestic abuse allegations, Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell returned to the ballpark on Friday.

Russell, who was accused of marital infidelity by his wife Melisa in a now-deleted Instagram post, is not in the Cubs’ lineup for Friday’s game against the Colorado Rockies, but he’s looking forward to getting back to the normal routine of baseball after the events of Wednesday night and Thursday.

“I’m here to stay,” he said. “This is my job. This is what I love doing.”

On Wednesday night, Russell’s wife posted a photo on Instagram, accusing the shortstop of cheating on her. In a comment on the post, a woman, who said she was friends with Russell’s wife, said that the infielder had “mentally and physically abused” her, an accusation that Russell denied in a statement the next day.

After the incident, Major League Baseball is reportedly looking into the accusations, and the Cubs kept Russell away from the ballpark Thursday to attend to the matter.

Russell said that he felt “sad” that he spent Thursday away from the team and the ballpark, and said that baseball is what he loves to do.

“I felt sad. This is what I do,” he said. “This is what I love. I love being here in this clubhouse with the boys, having fun. This is my life.” 

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