Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson took another visible step toward returning to the lineup on Wednesday afternoon, working through batting practice at American Family Field before the team’s series finale against the Milwaukee Brewers.
A video clip from Marquee Sports Network showed Swanson taking some swings.
The session was a modest but meaningful sign after more than three weeks on the injured list with a left oblique strain.
Swanson last appeared in a major league game on August 16 against St. Louis, when an awkward swing left him grimacing and heading for the dugout. An MRI confirmed a Grade 2 strain, and the Cubs placed him on the 10-day injured list the following day.
Nico Hoerner has filled in at shortstop since then, keeping the infield serviceable while Chicago tries to hold its place in a crowded National League playoff picture.
The Cubs entered Wednesday having dropped the first two games of the series in Milwaukee and were looking to avoid a sweep.
Manager Craig Counsell had already outlined the next checkpoints before the team left Chicago. If the work against high-velocity machines goes well this weekend at Wrigley Field, Swanson could begin a brief rehab assignment around September 14-16, possibly with Triple-A Iowa or in Arizona.
The hope is that a couple of minor-league games would allow him to rejoin the Cubs for the final stretch of the regular season, including a homestand that features his former club, the Atlanta Braves.
Counsell has described the recovery as proceeding on schedule and characterized the original injury as relatively minor for an oblique strain.
At the time he went down, Swanson was hitting .216 with 18 home runs, 66 RBIs, 78 runs scored and 17 stolen bases in 119 games. Those numbers are modest by his own standards, but they include a stronger stretch after a slow May, and his value has always been as much about defense as offense.
Chicago’s infield metrics have remained strong with Hoerner at short, yet the club is clearly stronger when both players occupy their natural positions.
Swanson traveled with the team on the current road trip and has already resumed light fielding, running and agility work. Seeing him take live swings in Milwaukee suggested the next phase—facing higher-velocity pitches in a cage—is close.
For a Cubs team still fighting for October baseball, even a late-September return would be timely. The coming days of machine work and a possible rehab stint will determine whether that timetable holds.
