Cubs infielder David Bote left Saturday’s game due to a separated left shoulder, as manager David Ross told The Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan and other reporters in the postgame media session. Bote suffered the injury while sliding into second base on what ended up as an Eric Sogard double play during the fourth inning, and Patrick Wisdom replaced Bote in the field at third base for the top of the fifth.
Bote will certainly be placed on the 10-day injured list before Sunday’s game, and a trip to the 60-day IL could be a distinct possibility depending on the severity of the separation. Regardless, it represents yet another hit to a Cubs infield that has lost Matt Duffy and Nico Hoerner to the IL within the last week, and Anthony Rizzo has also missed four games in a row due to a bad back.
Considering all the injuries that have plagued the Cubs this season, Bote has ended up becoming a regular for the Cubs, appearing in 49 of Chicago’s 51 games. Bote has hit only .194/.273/.333 over 162 PA, but his ability to fill in at both second and third base has been a plus for a Cubs team in need of depth.
Dee Strange-Gordon recently signed a minor league deal with the Cubs and could very well be getting a quick call to the big leagues with Bote now sidelined. Such MLB veterans as Andrew Romine, Sergio Alcantara and Trayce Thompson are also available at Triple-A depending on how the Cubs want to handle the infield situation, as an outfielder could be called up to allow Kris Bryant to move back to third base.
More must-reads: