Cubs manager says it’s possible Ben Zobrist doesn’t return this season

It’s been more than three weeks since Ben Zobrist last appeared in a game with the Chicago Cubs, and he’s been on the restricted list since May 6.

The leave began after Zobrist and his wife, Julianna, each filed for divorce, and the Cubs are not expecting him to return anytime soon.

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times asked Cubs manager Joe Maddon if the team has considered the possibility that Zobrist won’t return this season.

“I have to think that way, absolutely,” Maddon said Tuesday. “I hope that’s not the case. But he’s at the point now where if he chose to come back, it’s going to take him awhile to get back up to speed, too. We have to mentally be prepared that we will not have him.”

Zobrist, who is batting .241 this season, is in the final season of a four-year, $56 million contract he signed with the Cubs in 2016, just months after helping the Royals win the World Series.

After signing with the Cubs, Zobrist helped Chicago win the World Series and he was the series MVP. He’s been missed by his teammates.

“He’s one of our guys, one of our best buds, on and off the field,” first baseman Anthony Rizzo told the Sun-Times. “He brings a tremendous professional approach every day. As younger players, you look at Ben, and he’s a constant professional.”

You can read more of the Sun-Times story here.

This story was originally published May 29, 2019 at 2:04 PM.