Overview
- Manager Craig Counsell told reporters Tuesday that Dansby Swanson is set to start Trajekt and other high-velocity machine work when the team returns home, a step the Cubs use to rebuild swing timing before live at-bats.
- That machine work would lead to a brief rehab assignment, possibly with Triple-A Iowa or in Arizona, and the team is targeting Swanson’s return during next week’s Braves series at Wrigley if he responds well to the work.
- Swanson has been on the injured list since Aug. 17 with a left oblique/left-side strain after an initial four-to-six week projection, and his return would move Nico Hoerner from shortstop back to second base.
- Outfielder Ian Happ is listed day-to-day with left-knee discomfort, was seen doing pregame running drills, and could be available off the bench while the club monitors his status.
- The Cubs sit in a tight NL Wild Card race, so the club is balancing urgency with caution by using machine work and controlled minor-league game reps to verify players are ready before re-entering the regular-season roster.