Why Madrigal's infield hit among Cubs' biggest of year originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
If it looked in Friday’s first inning like Cubs second baseman Nick Madrigal was a different man, a new man, a healed man — a running man — then maybe it’s because he is. All of the above.
The reputed hit-machine and former No. 4 overall draft pick was acquired at last year’s trade deadline from the White Sox in the Craig Kimbrel trade barely six weeks after he had undergone season-ending surgery for a severe hamstring injury.
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And he hasn’t been right — not all the way back to normal — since then.
“I’ve talked to doctors, therapists, and they said it would take a good amount of time to feel completely 100 percent,” Madrigal said. “And then there’s a chance I may never feel 100 percent.”
Did that finally all change in one especially quick sequence Friday, more than 14 months after the surgery?
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That’s probably too simple of a conclusion to draw.
But on a play that looked eerily similar to the one in which he got hurt last year, Madrigal opened the Cubs’ three-run first inning by beating out a grounder to the right side for an infield hit.
It was the start of a three-hit day for Madrigal during an 8-7 victory over the Brewers.
But more than that, it might have been the surest sign yet that he has returned all the way from a devastating injury that threatened to impact his budding career.
And it’s a development that probably can’t be overstated in importance for a rebuilding team that blew up its last championship core in the process that landed Madrigal and other key young players.
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“The last couple weeks I feel like I’ve kind of taken the next step as far as starting to feel normal again,” said Madrigal, who opened the season on time but been set back twice this season by injured-list moves for a back injury and groin injury.
“It’s one of those things that all year long it’s a little bit tight here and there,” he said of the surgically repaired hamstring. “But especially this last week I feel like I’ve been able to run and not worry about it.
“It’s definitely encouraging just to feel a little bit better.”
Madrigal, who returned from his last IL stint on Aug. 4, delivered his second three-hit performance in his last six games Friday, going 13-for-40 (.325) in that span with a .413 on-base percentage.
“He hasn’t skipped a beat since he’s been back,” said manager David Ross, who suggested Madrigal might have been pressing during a tough start early this season as he adjusted to a new team. “And I think health probably has a lot to do with it. But I think mostly it’s just about a reset, believing in himself, getting some everyday playing time, where he’s comfy now, and he understands it was going to take some time with that much layoff just to get in the rhythm of the game.”
To that end, Ross has boosted Madrigal’s at-bats the last two weeks by moving him to the leadoff spot, where he’s batted in his last six starts and seven of his last nine.
“It does help,” said Madrigal, who added his typically aggressive approach stays the same.
“All I’m thinking about is getting base for the team,” he said. “Once I start thinking about the at-bats and things that don’t matter is when I kind of get in my head. I’ve hit leadoff many times in my life, and I feel comfortable up there, and I feel good the coaches are trusting me in that spot right now.”
It probably doesn’t hurt that it doesn’t, well, hurt anymore, too — that he is able to trust his body again to play at the speed he did before the injury.
“I’m feeling good,” he said.
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