As one of the few active players who knows what it’s like to play on both sides of the rivalry between the Chicago Cubs and White Sox, Nick Madrigal gets extra-amped for those games, and manager David Ross drove that point home Thursday.
Speaking prior to the Cubs’ series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Ross confirmed that Madrigal will report to Iowa for a rehab assignment on Friday, and that he will stay there through the weekend.
“The hope is that he would rehab this weekend, then both teams are off Monday, and he’d be ready to face the South Siders, which would be his ideal scenario, I think,” Ross said.
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Madrigal was acquired by the Cubs in the July 2021 trade that sent pitcher Craig Kimbrel to the White Sox. He had suffered a season-ending injury earlier that month, so he didn’t get to make his debut against the South Siders until May 2022 at Wrigley Field.
He went 3-for-6 in those games for the Cubs. He did not appear in the Cubs’ series on the South Side last season, so these will be his first games as a visitor at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Madrigal has been on the injured list since July 4 after suffering a strained right hamstring in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
In 151 at-bats this season, Madrigal has one home run and a .278 batting average, scoring 23 runs and driving in 17 RBI’s. His on-base percentage is right in line with its career norms at .335.
