Injury report: Pederson’s timeline fluid as he hits IL originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
Cubs outfielder Joc Pederson’s left wrist ailment “popped up in the last day or two as he was getting some work done,” manager David Ross said after the Cubs’ 4-3 walk-off win against the Mets on Thursday.
Pederson went to a specialist earlier in the day and was diagnosed with tendonitis. The Cubs placed him on the 10-day injured list, backdated to Wednesday and recalled second baseman Nico Hoerner from the South Bend alternate training site.
“We'll give him some rests with the IL stint and see how he feels in a couple days,” Ross said of Pederson. “Didn't feel like there was an MRI needed quite yet. It's one of those things that's an important part of the body when it comes to hitting, so we'll rely on him and his feedback, and progress accordingly.”
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Asked if the tendonitis had been affecting Pederson’s swing during his early-season struggles, Ross said he had “no way of knowing that.”
Pederson’s spring training success hasn’t transferred into the regular season. After leading the Cactus League in home runs (8), Pederson has logged just seven hits in 16 regular season games (.137 batting average).
“Unfortunately, didn’t start the season the way I wanted or planned,” Pederson said Tuesday. “But I think that’s life. That’s baseball. You’ve got to adapt, make some adjustments. It kind of hit me by surprise, especially the way I was feeling during spring. But it’s a long season. It’s not how you start.”
Pederson began to show promising signs at the plate against Atlanta over the weekend, even recording his first multi-hit game of the season. But then on Tuesday facing the Mets, Pederson went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
That was the last game Pederson played before landing on the IL. He was out of the lineup with left-hander David Peterson on the mound for the Mets on Wednesday.
