Chicago Cubs shortstop Addison Russell made a big splash with the team during his rookie year, impressing fans with his slick fielding and easy transition to the big leagues, but in his sophomore campaign, there will be something different about him:
His uniform number.
That information was revealed last week when the Cubs signed Jason Heyward to a lucrative eight-year contract. Heyward has worn the number 22 during his big league career thus far, but Russell was the holder of that jersey during the 2015 season.
In the spirit of baseball, Russell did give up the number so that the veteran Heyward would still wear it, and he has switched to the number 27 for the upcoming season. To his credit, Russell was cool with the change:
Heyward also chimed in on social media, using it to thank Russell for his cooperation and promising repayment:
We’re going to go out on a limb and say that the man who just signed a contract worth $180 million can afford to give Russell something nice for the jersey.
