Cubs’ Kris Bryant leaves game with right ankle injury

The Chicago Cubs received a scare Wednesday night after Kris Bryant was forced to leave the game with an injury.

Chicago Cubs star third baseman Kris Bryant injured himself trying to catch a pop up in foul territory but rolled his ankle on the side of the base. He had to be helped off the field, according to Buster Olney of ESPN.

The team said on Twitter that he suffered “an apparent right ankle injury.”

Bryant’s injury came while the Washington Nationals were trouncing them. At the end of the sixth inning, the Cubs were losing 8-3.

This was a tough way to end an eventful day for Chicago. The organization began the day by designating catcher Miguel Montero for assignment for his criticism of Jake Arrieta. He said that the Nationals stole seven bases because of the pitcher’s slow style on Tuesday night.

Additionally, the team visited the White House to celebrate its 2016 World Series win.

This injury could cause definite trouble for the Cubs, who are trying to win the NL Central. At the beginning of Wednesday’s game, they were one game behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Winning the division is likely their only chance to earn a spot in the playoffs. They are currently six games behind the Colorado Rockies for the second wild card spot.

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Bryant is having an off year after winning the NL Most Valuable Player award during the 2016 season. At the time of the injury, he was hitting .259 with 16 home runs and just 32 RBI. These numbers pale in comparison to his first two seasons, both of which resulted in All-Star Game appearances.

Bryant has been mostly immune to injuries since making it to the big leagues, missing just 18 games in two seasons.

Jeimer Candelario and Javier Baez will likely try to fill the void left by Bryant if he is out for future games.