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UPDATE Chicago Cubs Kyle Schwarber: Injury Update

By Bill Pivetz

Apr 7, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber sits in a cart as he is taken off the field after suffering an injury in an outfield collision in the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 7, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber sits in a cart as he is taken off the field after suffering an injury in an outfield collision in the second inning against the Chicago Cubs at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber left Thursday’s game with a leg injury. He will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL and LCL. Here is the fallout from the injury.

The Chicago Cubs entered the 2016 season with a lot of optimism. They have an ace starting pitcher, solid closer and superstar hitters. Unfortunately, the injury bug struck again. In the second inning of Thursday’s game, Kyle Schwarber and Dexter Fowler collided. Schwarber was carted off the field and immediately began testing. As we await the results from the MRI, here is the impact from the injury.

After Schwarber was carted off, he was tested for a sprained ankle after the X-rays came back negative for broken bones. However, the Cubs management have something bigger to be concerned about than the ankle.

Any damage to the knee will raise a lot more eyebrows than an ankle injury. With all of the ligaments in the knee, I’ll be surprised if there isn’t at least a strain to one of them. I’m also surprised nothing happened to Fowler. The size of Kyle Schwarber running full speed and colliding with Fowler could have made for a big double whammy to this team.

Luckily for the Cubs, while losing their star left fielder for the season is not ideal, the team is protected by having a deep bench.

During the game, Kris Bryant moved from third base to left field and Tommy La Stella came in to replace Bryant. Going forward, the Cubs have a couple of different defensive alignments to choose from. Bryant will likely go back to third base and Jorge Soler, the fourth outfielder on the team, will take over for Kyle Schwarber in left on most nights.

From a fantasy perspective, which is what we do here, the waiver wire is going to be crowded. Soler becomes the No. 1 Cubs player to add. La Stella becomes a name to watch in deeper leagues. Another name to know is Munenori Kawasaki. Kawasaki plays both second base and shortstop for Triple-A Iowa.

Next: Steven Souza Waiver Wire Target

If you are a Kyle Schwarber owner, his season is over. If Schwarber was your catcher, his teammate, Miguel Montero, is a nice add. Colorado Rockies catcher Nick Hundley is another good option. Both of these players are owned in less than 25 percent of ESPN leagues.

On the other hand, if you need an outfield replacement, Denard Span is still available in some leagues. Regardless, this is not something you were prepared to handle this early in the season.

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