Although the Chicago Cubs won Tuesday's game over the New York Mets and subsequently won the series, the team lost a player. After attempting to bunt, Rafael Ortega's finger was smacked by a pitch and ultimately ended up broken, leading to his early exit from the contest.
After breaking his finger, it appears Ortega's season might be over. Fingers are a tough thing to heal, so chances are he's done with only three weeks or so left in the season. For the season, Ortega appeared in 118 games for the Cubs. He was slashing .241/.331/.358 with seven home runs and 35 RBI before the injury.
Although he didn't thrive overall, the 31-year-old has been good lately. Over his last 15 games, Ortega slashed .342/.395/.447 with a home run and eight RBI. He was getting hot at the right time only to lose the rest of his season with the broken finger.
Ortega's future in Chicago is certainly up in the air. With a number of talented outfielders such as Brennen Davis, Alexander Canario, Narciso Crook, and others knocking on the door, it's unlikely Ortega returns to the Cubs in 2023. However, he has played well enough of late to potentially earn an opportunity as a fourth outfielder elsewhere. The broken finger certainly takes away meaningful at-bats that could have been used as an audition though.
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