Kris Bryant Cleared to Fly to Houston After OF Collision
Update: Bryant has been cleared to fly with the team to Houston. So, you know, disregard most of what’s below.
Update: Kris Bryant was cleared to fly with the Cubs to Houston.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) May 26, 2019
You could see it coming from a mile away, at least from the right vantage point. Kris Bryant and Jason Heyward were both tracking the fly ball off the bat of Eugenio Suárez, leading them on a collision course. Bryant appeared not to hear Heyward calling for the ball, only ducking at the last moment before taking his fellow outfielder’s right arm to the face.
From where I was sitting, I thought at first that the ball had actually hit KB in the dome, which might have been much worse since he’s not Jose Canseco. Bryant went to a knee for a while before Joe Maddon and trainer Nick Frangella came out to check on him. He then left under his own power and didn’t exhibit any obvious locomotive issues, but the team is evaluating him to make sure he is not concussed or otherwise injured.
Kris Bryant was not available to the media during this evaluation period. Jason Heyward gave a few versions of “You got to ask KB” when asked about their outfield collision.
“I hope he feels great, but time will tell,” Heyward said. “We both went hard to make a play."
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) May 26, 2019
Bryant was not available to the media due to the evaluation, which is pretty standard procedure. And given the increased emphasis on head trauma, not to mention the Cubs’ somewhat spotty history with injury diagnoses, you can imagine why they’d want to be thorough. Part of that discretion may mean Bryant staying in Chicago while the team flies to Houston for a three-game set with the Astros.
After outfield collision, part of the Kris Bryant evaluation for the Cubs is deciding whether or not he will fly with the team tonight to Houston for Memorial Day game against the Astros.
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) May 26, 2019
“He’s doing OK,” Maddon said after the game. “He’s still under evaluation. We don’t know exactly what we’re doing with this whole thing yet. But we’re trying to talk with the docs and him to find out exactly where we’re at.”
It’s entirely possible that everything is fine and Bryant will be able to rejoin the team posthaste even if he doesn’t fly out Sunday evening. This is one of those things that, unfortunately, is going to happen. Of course, it may be more likely to happen when both players involved are out of their everyday positions.
Here’s to hoping Bryant is perfectly fine and he’ll be able to return to the lineup as soon as possible.