The Cubs likely lost all possibility of a playoff berth following a four-game home series sweep by the Cardinals over the weekend, and on top of it all, Chicago could also be without third basemen Kris Bryant for the remainder of the season.
While trying to beat out a double play at first base Sunday, the 2016 NL MVP severely twisted his ankle as he slid on the wet base and was wincing in pain as he was helped off the field.
Bryant’s agent, Scott Boras, is pointing the finger at Major League Baseball for not having adequate measures in place to avoid slippery bags. Another Boras client, Bryce Harper, also suffered an ankle injury on a wet bag while with the Nationals in 2017.
“What have they done since Harper? The answer is nothing,” Boras told the Chicago Sun Times. “They’re focused on other factors, economic factors, all things relating to how they can administer the game, and yet the safety of players and resolution of this issue has gone without any attention.
Kris BryantGetty Images“The integrity of our game is going to [be] damaged when the safety of players is not at the forefront, and Major League Baseball has dropped the ball on the wet-bag subject.”
Boras suggested that umpires should “oversee regular toweling of bases during wet weather,” per the Sun-Times, and claims that the league’s intention to play games despite harsh conditions could also be to blame. MLB has apparently researched the predicament, and a league spokesman told the paper, “no one has come up with a bag that has proven to be better safety-wise than the bag we use now.”



