Kris Bryant Wrist Injury Diagnosed as Contusion, Out vs. Pirates

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant was removed from Tuesday's game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after he suffered a left wrist contusion when he was hit by a pitch, per Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.

According to Patrick Mooney of The Athletic, X-rays were negative. However, manager Joe Maddon doesn't envision Bryant playing in Wednesday's game.

This is not the first setback for Bryant this season after he missed significant time with a shoulder injury in the summer. He entered Tuesday's contest slashing .277/.375/.460 with 12 home runs and 49 RBI this season, his fourth in the league.

Bryant has known nothing but success since he entered the major leagues, winning the 2015 National League Rookie of the Year and the 2016 National League MVP before helping the Cubs break a 108-year curse with the 2016 World Series title. The two-time All-Star is a consistent source of power for Chicago when healthy and blasted 39 homers in 2016 and 29 in 2017.

While Bryant is one of the best players in all of baseball, one reason the Cubs are contenders yet again is the versatility across their roster.

Look for them to turn toward a number of options on the hot corner while Bryant is sidelined. Chicago called up David Bote from the minors last time Bryant went on the disabled list and could give him the starting job moving forward. Tommy La Stella is another option, and the Cubs can even turn toward shortstop Javier Baez and ask Mike Freeman to man his position.

Those players can help keep the North Siders afloat in the short term, but Chicago likely needs Bryant back and anchoring the lineup to win a second World Series in three years.