After getting a day off on Wednesday, Pete Crow-Armstrong returned to the Chicago Cubs lineup on Friday. The time off seemed to have cleared the young slugger's mind as he went two-for-three with two runs batted in and a run scored in their 11-5 win over the Washington Nationals.
He was in the starting lineup again on Saturday, hitting in his usual clean-up spot. He doubled to center in his first at-bat, and things seemed to be going well until the sixth inning.
During the sixth inning, PCA came up to bat with his team down a run. On a 1-1 count, he fouled a ball violently off his right knee and was in pain. However, he stayed to work a walk in that at-bat, but did not return when Chicago took the field on defense. Early word coming from Cubs' insider Bruce Levine is that he is dealing with a right knee contusion.
This obviously could be a huge blow for the Cubs if PCA has to be out for an extended period of time. He has been a key figure in the team's success this season.
Pete Crow-Armstrong has been elite for the Cubs this season
While only in his third season, Pete Crow-Armstrong has transformed into one of the top center fielders in all of baseball. From what he has done offensively and defensively, he has put his name in the hat for an NL MVP Award.
He has started 137 games this season, hitting .253/.291/.494 with 34 doubles, 28 home runs, 85 runs batted in, and 32 stolen bases. He also holds 378 putouts, the most compared to other MLB center fielders.
Hopefully, the move to come out of the game was precautionary. The Cubs could be in real trouble if the injury proves to be a serious one.