Chicago Cubs third baseman Ian Stewart has struggled with a lingering wrist injury for over a year and he told reporters on Thursday that surgery to repair his wrist is "definitely a possibility." On Thursday morning the team placed Stewart on the disabled list, and since being traded to the Cubs from the Colorado Rockies in an off-season deal he has hit just .201/.292/.335 over 179 at-bats.
What's the next step before a corrective procedure? Here's what he told Doug Padilla of ESPN Chicago when asked about the possibility of surgery:
"With all the MRI and X-ray results, nothing of major value came up in there that they say we need to get this done now or this would have been taken care of a long ago...I don't know if we'll go that route but it's definitely a possibility."
"In a way you almost hope there is something there because it has lingered about a year and nothing has ever really come up. So hopefully seeing a new guy, new eyes on my wrist, maybe he sees something a little different and should know early next week."
Stewart is scheduled to be examined at the Cleveland clinic later this week, so everyone will be waiting for that look from "new eyes" that the ailing 3B referred to above.
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