Cubs' Javier Baez unlikely to play rest of regular season due to thumb injury, could return for playoffs

Baez suffered a hairline fracture in his thumb last weekend

The Chicago Cubs will likely be without their best all-around player the rest of the regular season. On Monday, the Cubs announced shortstop Javier Baez will spend the rest of the month rehabbing the hairline fracture in his left thumb, and the hope is he can return for the postseason.

Hand specialist confirms that UCL is intact in Javy’s left thumb. Unlikely to play this month, will rehab rest of the way and hope is he’ll come back for playoffs. Unlikely for him to play rest of regular season.

— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) September 10, 2019

Baez suffered the injury during a stolen base attempt last Sunday. He eventually went for tests, which revealed the hairline fracture. A visit to a specialist Monday confirmed the extent of the injury and provided a timetable for his return.

With Baez out, Addison Russell has stepped in at shortstop, but he took a pitch to the face over the weekend and his status is up in the air. The Cubs called up shortstop and top prospect Nico Hoerner on Monday to provide depth at the position while Baez is sidelined.

Baez, 26, is hitting .281/.316/.53 with 38 doubles and 29 home runs this season. The Cubs come into Monday with a 1 1/2-game lead for the second wild-card spot. They are 4 1/2 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central.