After emotional day, Swanson takes himself out of game
Shortstop physically, mentally fatigued with wife Mallory suffering devastating injury
Jordan Bastian
@MLBastianCHICAGO -- Dansby Swanson took the field for the sixth inning on Tuesday night, but the Cubs shortstop soon motioned to his dugout. After a long, draining day both physically and emotionally, Swanson pulled himself out of the game.
"My body was just kind of done," Swanson said.
The fatigue he experienced -- which manifested in tightness and cramping in his left side -- stemmed from more than his four-hit showing in the Cubs' wild, 14-9 comeback win over the Mariners at Wrigley Field. Swanson had been up since the early-morning hours to be with his wife, Mallory.
A rising star for both the Chicago Red Stars and the United States women's national soccer team, Mallory Swanson underwent surgery on Tuesday morning to repair a torn patella tendon in her left knee. The setback came in a friendly against Ireland on Saturday in Austin, Texas, and comes ahead of the USWNT's bid for a third consecutive World Cup title later this summer.
"She's all right," Dansby Swanson said. "I think everybody knows it's a pretty tough and heartbreaking situation just for her. I'm heartbroken for her. Just a lot of tears and sadness.
"You know, two things can be true at the same time. It can stink, and we can be sad and upset. We can also understand God's bigger picture and plans and everything. Both things can be true. It's just a sad time. We'll get through it together."
The Cubs signed Swanson to a seven-year, $177 million contract over the offseason, making him an anchor for both the defense and offense and a leader behind the scenes. During his introductory press conference over the winter, he said the Cubs were his top choice, and the fact that Mallory played for the Red Stars certainly made the decision even easier.
That move has helped the Swansons navigate the current situation.
"I'm glad that we can be here together," he said. "I couldn't imagine being apart right now."
In Tuesday's win, Swanson tied a career-high with four hits, including a pair of singles within Chicago's eight-run, eight-hit outburst in the third inning. The shortstop has reached safely in seven of his 10 games with the Cubs, hitting .400/.467/.450 out of the gates.
On Saturday morning, Swanson was watching his wife's match in the Cubs' clubhouse with teammates. He saw her carted off the field with the injury shortly before taking the field against the Rangers. He reached base three times in that win and had an electric slide into home due to some heads-up baserunning.
"It's pretty impressive for him to be able to come out and do what he did," Cubs outfielder Ian Happ said on Saturday. "We're feeling for him and his family. The ability for him to do that and go out and play baseball and compete, it's impressive."
Even on Tuesday night, Swanson -- who played 322 of Atlanta's 323 regular-season games across the 2021-22 seasons, plus another 20 playoff games -- tried to fight through his exhaustion to stay on the field. He listened to his body in the sixth.
"Anything more probably would have put me in harm's way," Swanson said. "I've played a lot in my career. And the last thing I want to do is ever come out of games. I have a little bit of like an ego, pride thing with that. But, it just didn't feel smart in the moment, and I just kind of trusted my gut."
Swanson smiled when asked if he would be back in the lineup on Wednesday.
"I don't want to say anything or not say anything and get in trouble," he said. "I'll just leave that up to [Ross]."