Cubs' Kris Bryant Exits vs. Giants with Knee Injury Diagnosed as Soreness

Chicago Cubs slugger Kris Bryant was reportedly forced to leave Wednesday's game against the San Francisco Giants after suffering an injury to his knee.

According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, Bryant exited with right knee soreness.

An extended absence could be damaging for the Cubs as Bryant remains one of the team's most important players.

After an up-and-down 2018 season, the 27-year-old is once again a force at the plate in 2019 entering Wednesday's game with a .299 batting average and .962 OPS so far this season. He currently has 20 home runs in 96 games after hitting 13 home runs all last season.

Bryant is back to resembling the player who won the 2016 NL MVP and the 2015 NL Rookie of the Year award.

His versatility is also extremely valuable as he can line up at third base, first base, left field or right field, giving the Cubs plenty of options in each game.

It also makes him difficult to replace on the field, although David Bote will likely see the biggest boost in playing time at third base if Bryant misses additional time.

Meanwhile, Chicago will hope injuries don't become a recurring problem for Bryant, who was limited to 102 games in 2018 while dealing with shoulder injuries. After appearing in at least 150 games in each of his first three seasons, though, the squad will hope this latest stretch of bad luck is just a fluke.