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Cubs Dansby Swanson gets injury return date

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Benedetto Vitale | Last updated 5/18/24

The Chicago Cubs have been rather decent to begin the season as they’re currently in second place in the National League Central. However, they’ve been without Dansby Swanson for several games now due to injury. But the club received some good news about their star shortstop.

Reports indicate that Swanson is due to return from the injured list on Tuesday, May 21, according to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic. There are a handful of injury updates for several players on the Cubs roster in the update.

“The Cubs plan to activate Dansby Swanson on Tuesday. No IL move yet for Nico Hoerner (hamstring), who’s been sidelined for almost a week. Drew Smyly and Jordan Wicks are nearing minor-league rehab assignments. Pedro Strop and Fak from ‘The Bear’ threw first pitches at Wrigley.”

Getting Dansby Swanson back from injury will provide a nice boost for the Cubs. He’s a solid hitter and one of the better defensive shortstops in the league. This season alone Swanson is hitting a .209 batting average, four home runs, and 12 RBIs. Hopefully, he can improve that batting average as the season progresses. Especially considering his career batting average is .252.

With that said, Swanson is due to return for the Cubs’ series opener against the Atlanta Braves. That’s a tough matchup for Swanson’s first game back. But it’ll be nice to see him back in the lineup sooner, rather than later.

Can the Cubs make the playoffs?

Cody Bellinger Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Cubs are in the thick of it right now and are looking like they’ll remain in the mix all season long. A hot streak would do them wonders as it’d give them a chance to surpass the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. But at the very least, Chicago should be in the running for a Wild Card spot.

Although they’re not as good as the Philadelphia Phillies or Los Angeles Dodgers, the Cubs have the privilege of playing in a division that is a bit wide open. So, Chicago can definitely stay in the playoff picture as long as they don’t go cold at the wrong time of the regular season.

It’s still a long season ahead and anything can happen. But the Cubs are in a great position early on in the season so far. We should expect them to keep it up especially once they start getting more healthy.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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