Nearly a month and a half after his horrific beaning, Marlon Byrd has returned for the Cubs. Chicago activated Byrd Saturday and he was batting 7th for the team in their game against the White Sox.
Byrd has been out since the end of May after he was hit just beneath the eye by Red Sox pitcher Alfredo Aceves. If that wasn’t enough, the center fielder was hit two more times during his minor league rehab assignment.
Even so, the 33 year old is anxious to rejoin his teammates.
"“I’m ready,” Byrd said. “Let’s see what we can do. They’ve been swinging the bat well. I want to join in. Hopefully I can bring a little extra energy to what they’ve been doing the past week.”"
Chicago feels that there will be no lingering effects from the beaning. Cubs’ manager Mike Quade said Byrd looked confident at the plate during his stint in the minors and appears to have overcome any issues he was dealing with. Apparently the hardest thing for Byrd was being away from the diamond.
"“The week he had to do nothing and stay away from the ballpark and heal was probably the toughest week he’s had in a long time,” Quade said. “He loves being around here. … The camaraderie and stuff that goes on is something that’s huge. It’s somewhat infectious. He’s another nice piece of the puzzle — both what he can do and some of the intangibles.”"
In his return, Byrd went 0-3 with a walk. He’s produced a line of .303/.344/.411 for the Cubs this season.
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