The Chicago Cubs had a small injury scare the other day when one of their rising stars Pete Crow-Armstrong missed a spring training game, however, upon further clarification, it was just hamstring tightness.

He would end up scratched for Monday’s matchup, however, as reported by Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times, he will return to the lineup for Tuesday.
Obviously, it is a positive having him back in the lineup, even if it is spring training, just to give him some more reps with the team and allow him a chance to get prepared for the season.

Manager Craig Counsell would provide some context on the injury and the reasoning behind pulling him from Monday’s lineup, stating, “I mean, it was really just like communication. So it was a situation yesterday, he just felt a little something in one of the drills, and then his day was kind of over after that. I just wanted him to run around this morning, kind of in a controlled way, before getting into a game. So he’s obviously in the lineup today, and during the season, he would’ve played yesterday. But just again, give him a chance to run around this morning before he goes in the game.”

Crow-Armstrong has been exceptional in his plate appearances during spring training as well, having produced .500/.467/.929 slash lines, with four runs, four RBI, a home run and four strikeouts. His base running value is off the charts and something that the Cubs should focus on utilizing even more often in 2025. Ensuring that his hamstring is fully healthy to do so is a key factor, so it is likely the right choice to operate on the side of caution and take preventative measures just to be safe.

The 2020 first round pick is now entering his second full season with the team, or third season with an appearance having made his debut in 2023. The expectations for the 22-year old phenom are sky high, as he is expected to take that next step towards becoming a franchise cornerstone by improving on his contact hitting and potentially adding some more power if possible.

With his fielding already nearly as good as it can physically be this early in his career, that will just be a matter of retaining his skillset and providing value to the team from center field. Given his speed and range, center is a perfect fit for him, and has shown to be as such, producing 306 putouts in 2024 with a league-leading eight assists, and only three errors.

Now clear of his minor injury, he will look to lock in and finish up spring training in the same form he has already shown so far.