Chicago Sports

The Chicago Blackhawks appear to have their next head coach according to reports as they are targeting Luke Richardson

The offseason has already sparked coaching changes and extensions. Montreal extended Martin St. Louis, The Dallas Stars brought on Peter Deboer, and the Blackhawks have a man of their own.

The next bench boss of the Blackhawks will be Luke Richardson according to the Daily Face-offs Frank Seravalli.

Richardson served as Assistant coach of the Montreal Canadiens since June, 2018. Before that he had stints as the assistant coach for the Senators and Islanders, in between the two he was the Head Coach of the AHL Binghampton Senators. In his first season as Head Coach of the AHL squad he was awarded Eastern Conference coach of the year and a contract extension through the next season. Following his contract expiring he moved on to the Islanders for one season before finding a more long term landing spot in Montreal.

During the 2021 playoffs, Richardson briefly took over behind the bench for the Canadiens after Dominque Ducharme tested positive for Covid. Richardson helped the Canadiens defeat the Vegas Golden Knights before relinquishing control back to Ducharme to face Tampa in the final. We all know how that went.

Richardson played in the NHL for 21 seasons as a defenseman. In over 1400 games he put up only 201 points, however he did put up 2055 penalty minutes in his career, so he at least got onto the score sheet most games.

Previously we covered the prospect of Barry Trotz getting behind the Blackhawks bench, but it seems he will either end up in Nashville or Winnipeg. Despite this it seems the Blackhawks have found their guy, only time will tell where he leads this team.

Could the Blackhawks acquire his Nephew?

Jacob Chychrun has been known to be on the market for a while now. The Coyotes are bad and will continue to be bad and will almost certainly be moving on from Chychrun soon, so why not come and play for his uncle?

Sure, it is certainly a stretch, but maybe that connection could be enough to put the wheels in motion. Some people probably wouldn’t want their relatives as their boss, but when you’re as good as Chychrun is it is hard to believe that would really be an issue.

Obviously this is all just speculation and a little bit of drawing lines between things that are hardly there, but it sure would be nice to see Chychrun in the windy city. Defense has been a huge problem for the Blackhawks as of late, maybe an acquisition like that could be a step in the right direction.

Make sure to check out our Blackhawks forum for the latest on the team.

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On their summer break, the Bears still managed to get an important — and inevitable — piece of business done Saturday. They signed second-round draft pick Kyler Gordon, their top selection in April, to his standard four-year rookie deal. He’ll make about $8.5 million over four years.

The Bears chose the cornerback No. 39 overall out of Washington. He impressed in offseason practices before being slowed by injuries. He’s expected to be fine for the start of training camp July 26.

“Obviously, he has good ball skills,” defensive backs coach James Rowe said in May. “And he finds himself in good position enough to be able to look back and locate the quarterback and locate the ball … to be able to put himself in those positions and make those plays.”

New Bears general manager Ryan Poles used a series of third-day trades to give the Bears 12 selections. After Gordon’s signing, only Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker, another second-round pick, remains unsigned.

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It’s a good thing White Sox pitcher Lance Lynn is back from injury because Sox slugger Eloy Jimenez still isn’t. We can only hope Jose Abreu’s and Luis Robert’s sore lower bodies don’t knock them from the lineup, especially with Danny Mendick’s and Adam Engel’s lower bodies now keeping them out of it. How’s Yoan Moncada? Tim Anderson? Aaron Bummer? Liam Hendriks?

Out, in. In, out. It’s too much to keep track of and absolutely exhausting, and that’s just for those of us lazing on the sofa.

In this week’s “Polling Place,” your home for Sun-Times sports polls on Twitter, we asked if the Sox — given all their injuries — still are the pick to win the American League Central.

“By 10 games,” a confident @gbmat1 commented, though the results of our poll beg to differ.

We also asked how many games the Cubs will lose — at least 100? — and which player drafted Thursday will have the best NBA career. Paolo Banchero? Chet Holmgren? Jabari Smith? Or someone else?

On to the polls:

Poll No. 1: Given all their injuries, are the White Sox still your pick to win the AL Central?

Upshot: “Their superior talent will win out over 162 games,” @JeffreyCanalia wrote. Again, though, that’s not what the results of our poll say. Undoubtedly less because of the quality of the Twins and/or Guardians and more because of the nonstop personnel mess the Sox find themselves in, respondents came down heavily in the “no” camp. There’s still lots of time for the Sox, but it has been grueling so far.

Poll No. 2: The Cubs are on pace for their first 100-loss season since 2012. Will triple digits happen?

Upshot: Just 100? Why stop there? “They have a shot at 200,” @DismasTheGood cracked. The Cubs lost 101 games in 2012, 103 in 1966 and 103 in 1962, which was the year the major league season jumped from 154 to 162 games. So there’s a chance — a real one — this will be a record-setting Cubs team in a most ignominious way. But, hey, it’s all part of the plan, right?

Poll No. 3: Which member of the 2022 NBA draft class will have the best career?

Upshot: Oops, we forgot to include Dalen Terry, whom the Bulls picked from Arizona at No. 18. Sorry about that. But we did include the guys who went 1 through 3, each of whom has one of those so-called ceilings that’s so high up there, anything seems possible. Or what about Purdue guard Jaden Ivey, a spectacular athlete who went No. 5 to Detroit? That’s @notjimrose’s guess, for what it’s worth.

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There was news about Bulls point guard Lonzo Ball.

It wasn’t necessarily great news, but it was news nonetheless.

”Currently working out in [Los Angeles], still doing his [knee] rehab,” general manager Marc Eversley said when he was asked about Ball on Thursday. ”We have sent our performance staff to see him every week and track his progress. All reports are good. He’s making progress.”

Is he making enough progress to be ready for the start of training camp?

”I certainly hope so,” Eversley said.

It wasn’t exactly a ringing endorsement about Ball’s availability moving forward, with his injured left knee still a much bigger problem than first anticipated.

When Ball had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in the knee in late January, the Bulls gave a timetable of six to eight weeks for his recovery. But Ball also was dealing with a bone bruise, and the pain it caused proved to be the reason he didn’t play for the rest of the season.

Fast-forward to the draft Thursday. The Bulls were sitting with the No. 18 pick, despite efforts to move up or down earlier in the day.

They needed outside shooting and bulk up front to help their physicality, but they passed on both to add a big guard/wing player in Dalen Terry, whom most experts projected to go in the 20s.

Did the Bulls make that pick because they have concerns about Ball? Maybe a bit, but a deeper dive shows exactly how the Bulls want to play with this core unit.

Center Nikola Vucevic is not a top rim protector, and the Bulls don’t expect him to be. This is about a philosophy of causing chaos and havoc in an opposing team’s backcourt, leading to turnovers and transition baskets.

The Bulls didn’t pick Terry to play point guard in case Ball can’t answer the bell; they selected him to join Ball, Alex Caruso and Javonte Green in the disruption department.

So while the selection feels like a C on the surface, a more accurate grade when all things are taken into consideration is more like a B-minus.

No, the Bulls weren’t considered draft-night winners, but they did improve themselves. Then again, most of the NBA did, especially these five organizations.

Pistons

Not only did the Pistons give themselves the backcourt of the future by drafting Jaden Ivey to play alongside All-Rookie Team guard Cade Cunningham, but they also added an athletic big man in Jalen Duren.

Leading up to the draft, the Pistons also traded veteran forward Jerami Grant to the Trail Blazers, adding future draft assets to continue their rebuild.

Pelicans

Vice president David Griffin continued flexing his muscles as a great team-builder, taking an up-and-coming roster and adding two more intriguing pieces to it. Dyson Daniels is a defensive-minded hell-raiser with two-way-player ability, and landing a falling E.J. Liddell at No. 41 might prove to be the steal of the night.

Spurs

Forward Jeremy Sochan might develop into a Kawhi Leonard type of player on both ends of the floor, and landing shooting guard Malaki Branham at No. 20 was huge for their scoring inconsistency. The Spurs weren’t done, however, and also drafted guard Blake Wesley at No. 25.

It was a huge haul for a franchise looking to get back on the radar.

Rockets

Jalen Green, the No. 2 pick last year, needs help, and help is on the way. Jabari Smith is a smooth scorer at 6-10, and wing player Tari Eason might be the most versatile defender in the top 20. Point guard TyTy Washington was projected to be a lottery pick by some, so landing him at No. 29 might prove to be huge.

Thunder

Chet Holmgren, Ousmane Dieng and Jalen Williams gave the Thunder a combined wingspan of just less than 22 feet. Impressive. But all eyes will be on Holmgren, who wentNo. 2 overall. If the 7-footer turns out to be the unicorn he has been projected to be, their rebuild might come quickly.

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When Gabriel Slonina’s errors cost the Fire a victory May 18 against the host Red Bulls, the young goalkeeper looked distracted. After a highly public courtship, Slonina had been called up to the Polish national team and was pondering whether to see what that program had to offer or go with the United States.

To get the massive choice out of the way, the 18-year-old Slonina committed to the U.S. even though he didn’t have to for another three years per FIFA bylaws.

“Doing it then and clearing my mind a little bit and not having that decision lingering in the background was part of why I made the decision then,” Slonina told the Sun-Times after the Fire’s 1-0 victory last Saturday against D.C. United.

Of course, that isn’t the only career move on the horizon.

Slonina has been linked to a series of overseas heavyweights, most notably England’s Chelsea and Spanish superpower Real Madrid. So as most kids Slonina’s age are preparing for college, he’s being courted by the last two European champions, reportedly for big money.

The Addison product credited agent Jaime Garcia for handling the business side of his career, and as of Saturday, Slonina wasn’t sure how far along the talks are. While Garcia maneuvers to get the best for his client off the field, Slonina mentioned a coping mechanism he has brought up in the past that helps him perform on the pitch.

“The meditation I do I think helps a lot [with] staying present, staying in the moment, because if I don’t play well here then all of those offers mean nothing,” said Slonina, who likely would be loaned back to the Fire after any sale. “Personally for me, it’s all about the now, it’s all about the present and [Saturday’s] game was the now, so I think giving my all every single game with this club is what I’m going to continue to do.”

When he committed to the U.S., it arguably turned into that day’s biggest story in American soccer even though coach Gregg Berhalter revealed his roster — without Slonina — for an upcoming international window. This next decision will make similar waves, but Slonina seems to be taking everything in stride while his future is being discussed on two continents.

“Personally, I know that if I let it get to me, then that’s it,” Slonina said. “If you start to live in the future, then you’re not present. You’re not here in the moment, so I don’t think I can perform at my best if I’m thinking about those things that happen, that added stress or pressure to my game.

“If I go into a game thinking that I have to perform at a different level than I’ve been performing at, then I think you start to alter the way you do things and I think for me it’s about just trusting the path I’m on and continuing to put in the work every day.”

NOTE: As expected, defender Wyatt Omsberg had reconstructive surgery Friday on his left foot. The team said a timeline for Omsberg’s return will be determined later.

Omsberg suffered the injury late in the Fire’s 1-0 win last Saturday when he landed awkwardly after jumping for a 50-50 ball.

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Kyle Davidson — as the Blackhawks general manager through the rebuild he’ll conduct — won’t have an easy job, but he will have a straightforward one. He’ll simply make the moves he believes will help the Hawks contend again in the future.

Conversely, Luke Richardson –as the Blackhawks’ soon-to-be-named coach through the rebuild — will have a neither easy nor straightforward job.

When the former Canadiens assistant officially assumes his new duties in Chicago next week, he’ll address reporters and fans for the first of many times during the years ahead. When training camp begins in September, he’ll address what’ll likely be a ragtag team of players for the first of even more times.

Each and every time, Richardson will need to find and maintain a delicate balance between realism and optimism, between accountability and flexibility and between transparency and subtlety.

To be fair, every NHL coach must do that sometimes — after any loss, a coach must balance honest criticism of his team’s mistakes with loyal support of his players –but the challenge will be particularly steep during such a drastic rebuild.

That’s because the organization’s on-ice objective, at least for 2022-23 as well as potentially for 2023-24, will be tanking (to maximize their draft picks). Davidson might not explicitly state that, but he’s not the type to totally lie about it, either. As the man in charge, he doesn’t need to.

Behind the scenes, Richardson has surely been informed of Davidson’s plans, and he may well remain part of the decision-making process. In the locker room and behind the press-conference lectern, however, Richardson will need to operate with significantly more caution and nuance than Davidson will.

He’ll spend every night trying to help a built-to-lose team win — and he’ll fail to do so most of the time.

He’ll need to accept that losing is inevitable –but he’ll need to avoid embracing losing or perpetuating a losing culture.

And he’ll need to impart the same mentality on his players without damaging their morale or stunting their development, the two things most important in the short term.

Indeed, it’s going to be complicated.

The well-worn hockey trope that “we have the guys we need to succeed” won’t be usable. Nor will any preseason talk of playoff aspirations, nor any midseason talk of being “one winning streak away.” Those cliches, frequent over the past few years, will be laughable now.

Avoiding them will require genuine pragmatism about the state of the Hawks’ roster and the severe shortcomings in talent, depth, experience, goaltending and just about every other category they’ll face compared to the league’s true contenders.

But that pragmatism will need to stop short of bashing or belittling the team or undermining the confidence of the players who compose it.

That, after all, would defeat half the purpose of the rebuild. A second line of Lukas Reichel, Taylor Raddysh and Philipp Kurashev –or whomever it ends up being –won’t be so good this coming year, but it could be good in a few years if those forwards continue improving even while temporarily struggling.

Derek King, as interim coach this past season, did an overall admirable job juggling the job’s contradictions and trying to strike the requisite balances. Yet even he made some missteps, such as describing his players as “drained” (April 12) and calling for more veteran additions (April 27), that demonstrated just how difficult the task is.

Richardson will be asked to do even better than King, for far longer, with an even worse team. Sure, he may benefit from the lack of pressure and expectations. But this job will not be simple.

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Bears head coach Matt Eberflus stood in front of his team on the morning of June 14, the first day of the team’s three-day mandatory minicamp, and introduced the guests that he was embedding with his players: referee Craig Wrolstad and his officiating crew.

Eberflus had invited them to sit in on meetings — both with the entire team and in position groups — and to help out on the field.

“Let’s utilize the NFL and these guys’ expertise in the refereeing business,” he told his players.

The officials wanted Bears players to be curious about the nuances of NFL rules. So did their new head coach, who saw the officials’ participation as essential to the culture he’s trying to build in his first season at Halas Hall.

“I told [the players], ‘Use the wealth of knowledge that we have in front of us,'” Eberflus said. “So if you have a question about [defensive pass interference] or being downfield on the screen or whatever that might be, let’s ask.”

Inviting officials to camp was a technique Eberflus picked up at his last stop, with promising results. In two of the last three seasons, Eberfus’ Colts boasted the least-penalized defense in the NFL.

In 2018, Eberflus’ first season as coordinator, the Colts committed 50 defensive penalties, tied for fifth-most in the league. In the next three years, they averaged only 31.

The Colts were tied for the fewest defensive penalties last year, with 23. The Bears had more than twice as many, 47. Overall, the Colts were flagged 76 times last year, the third-fewest in the league. The Bears had 106 penalties.

“We believe in not beating ourselves and doing things the right way,” Eberflus said.

Every coach wants to curb flags. Eberflus, at least in a short sample size, has been able to pull it off. It might not be sexy. But if the Bears are going to win games in 2022 — and, judging by the roster they’ve assembled, that’s a big if — they’re going to have to do the little things right.

That’s a big ask for a team that could have rookies at some of the sport’s most-penalized positions. Rookie Braxton Jones finished mandatory minicamp as the team’s starting left tackle, though the Bears have reserved the right to cycle in Larry Borom, whose eight career starts have all come on the right side.

Kyler Gordon, the Bears’ top draft pick this year, figures to start at cornerback opposite Jaylon Johnson. He wasn’t flagged at all in either of his last two seasons at Washington. Jaquan Brisker, a fellow second-round rookie, will start at safety next to Eddie Jackson. He didn’t have a penalty in his last two seasons at Penn State, either.

Gordon said the discipline was a product of his body control — he was a dancer growing up — but also practice.

“Just consistent repetition through college,” Gordon said.

And now, with Eberflus’ emphasis, in the pros. The coach proselytizes often about his H.I.T.S. system, which emphasizes Hustle, Intensity, Takeaways and Smarts. Penalties fall under the fourth category, but being in the proper body position to avoid them requires both hustle and intensity.

As the Bears’ defense deteriorated the past few years, penalties skyrocketed. When Vic Fangio coordinated the league’s most dominant defense in 2018, they had the sixth-fewest defensive penalties in the NFL.

The next year, they had the seventh-fewest. In 2020, their second season under coordinator Chuck Pagano, they had the eighth-most defensive penalties.

Last year, under Sean Desai, they had the sixth-most.

Their issues last year went far beyond Cassius Marsh’s notorious prime-time taunting gaffe on “Monday Night Football”–one that cost them a victory against the Steelers. In five of six games against the Packers over the last three years, the Bears had more penalty yards than their rival.

It will take more than cleaning up penalties to make the Bears competitive this season. But the emphasis will continue.

When the Bears return from summer break, Eberflus will have officials come out at training camp twice –one group from the NFL, which will present the rules changes for the year, and another from the Big Ten. Eberflus wants his players to their brains.

“It’s helpful,” Eberflus said.

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Hold the hype on Lenyn Sosa for now.

The White Sox’ prized second-base prospect, called up for his debut Thursday, might not stick around for an extended period, especially with veteran Josh Harrison showing signs of improvement and Leury Garcia showing occasional glimpses of reaching base with more frequency. And third baseman Yoan Moncada could return from a hamstring injury as soon as Tuesday.

But the Sox had more urgent matters to think about Friday night, when they were held to one hit by five Orioles pitchers who combined to retire the final 19 batters in a listless 4-1 loss.

Starter Michael Kopech (2-4) was frustrated after the Orioles stole five bases off him in the first four innings and triggered a benches-clearing incident when he hit Jorge Mateo with a pitch in the second.

Pitching coach Ethan Katz and pitcher Lance Lynn restrained Kopech while the remaining players and coaches surrounded Mateo as teammate Rougned Odor yelled.

“On a 1-2 pitch, I’m trying to rare back and do a little bit more,” Kopech said. “I flew open, and the ball got away from me. I definitely was not trying to hit a guy with two strikes and two outs, especially a guy that’s not doing too much at the plate.

“Some guys hopped the rail and started talking. That’s why things escalated.”

Mateo told reporters, “I don’t know what happened there, what were they thinking. But I really don’t think it was intentional.

“In the heat of the moment, it’s normal [to be upset]. People start talking, saying stuff. You feel something. You feel uncomfortable. But it’s normal in the heat of the moment.”

Mateo proceeded to steal second and score on a single by Richie Martin, who stole second and third on consecutive pitches.

Kopech, who has coped with knee discomfort for the last two weeks, admittedly wasn’t happy when Cedric Mullins led off the game with a bunt single and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

“I’m having a tough time getting off the mound with my knee,” Kopech said. “I wasn’t thrilled about it, but it was moreso the fact the first pitch of the game I got a guy on.”

Sox manager Tony La Russa was visibly chafed by his team’s lack of offense one night after the Orioles seized a 4-0 victory. The Sox’ lone run came on Jake Burger’s RBI double with two out in the second. Garcia stranded Burger to end the inning.

“We’re better than that,” La Russa said of the offensive malaise. “We have to figure out why that’s true. I’ve got some ideas, but they’re not for me to share. It’s not acceptable.

“They shut us down. Some of it was their pitching. But we’re on the other side of it.”

Sosa likely won’t get enough time to provide a sustained spark.

“Right now, [Sosa] is up here temporarily right now, right?” La Russa said before the game. “To fill in. He could go nuts and force himself into the lineup. I don’t know how many opportunities he’s going to get.

“I don’t want to discourage Sosa, but he may get three hits [Saturday] and not play Sunday, so we’ll see. But I hope he does.”

Sosa batted .331 with 14 home runs and 48 RBI in 62 games at Double-A Birmingham, but it was his nine-pitch walk that kept the Sox’s slim hopes alive in the ninth inning Thursday and caused several teammates to take notice.

At Birmingham, Sosa lowered his strikeout rate from 23.1% last season to 13.8, while his walk rate rose from 1.7 to 7.3.

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ST. LOUIS — Standing on second base, outfielder Ian Happ clapped once, an understated celebration of his RBI double in the fifth inning of the Cubs’ 3-0 victory Friday in the series opener against the Cardinals.

Happ had just extended his hitting streak to seven games, mostly against division rivals. But his low-key demeanor in some ways mirrors what he has meant to the Cubs in a roller-coaster start to the season.

”He’s learned a lot and held down the ability to just stabilize us in the middle of that batting order,” manager David Ross said this week. ”And that’s been a real positive.”

Need more quantifiable proof of Happ’s value to the Cubs this season? Entering play Friday, he ranked third among National League outfielders in wins above replacement (2.2), according to FanGraphs.

His consistency, however, hasn’t translated directly into All-Star votes. When Major League Baseball released its first All-Star voting update this week, Happ was 17th among NL outfielders.

”He has been, definitely, one of our all-stars,” Ross said Friday.

Happ doesn’t have any fancy explanation for his breakout season. Entering the game against the Cardinals, he was batting .289 with a .387 on-base percentage, putting him on pace for career highs in both categories.

”I think it’s playing every day,” Happ said in a conversation with the Sun-Times.

His success has carried over from late last season, when he slashed .317/.405/.615 in September and October.

”[2021] was the last time seeing all these [pitchers] again,” Happ said. ”So doing that, to go through it again with some familiarity, all those things can add up.”

Remember, the Cubs sent the switch-hitting Happ down to Triple-A Iowa for the first half of the 2019 season. And in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, MLB implemented a regional schedule.

So Happ entered this season with a veteran mindset but also with the kind of base knowledge of opposing pitchers that he hadn’t been able to take advantage of before in his career.

Still, Happ wasn’t guaranteed the kind of playing time against left-handed pitchers that he has enjoyed lately.

”The fact of how he’s hit with power to all fields and spraying the ball around — and it’s been a really consistent bat from both sides of the plate — that’s something that he proved,” Ross said. ”It’s not anything I’ve done. He’s proved that and earned the fact that he’s in there against righties and lefties.”

Early in the season, Ross often would bat Happ eighth against left-handed starters to cut down on the number of at-bats he would take against them.

But against Pirates southpaw Jose Quintana on Thursday, Happ batted third.

”I think some of the ball flights for me are things that I haven’t done in a while,” Happ said of his right-handed swing. ”So some of that opposite-field stuff is coming back. There’s definitely some things that I haven’t felt in a while that start to become more familiar, which is nice. But I never had a doubt that I could do it, if given the opportunity.”

The success he featured against lefties early in the season has remained steady. And his splits, though with fewer plate appearances against left-handers, actually favor his traditionally weaker side. He’s hitting .359 with a .528 slugging percentage in 53 at-bats against southpaws.

”He’s still going out there [and] having his professional at-bat,” Ross said, ”whether we’re in first place and chasing the championship or where we’re at right now.”

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ST. LOUIS – The Cubs reinstated infielder David Bote from the 60-day IL on Friday, after a winding road back to health. He rejoined the Cubs lineup for the first time since late September.

“I’m just excited to be playing again,” Bote said before the Cubs opened a three-game series against the Cardinals on Friday. “I mean, I got goosebumps coming out here again.”

In a corresponding move, the Cubs designated veteran infielder Jonathan Villar for assignment. Villar started the season with a hot bat, but by Friday, his batting average had dropped to .222. He’d committed eight errors, tied with Patrick Wisdom for the most on the team, in about two-thirds as many games.

“Just opportunity for David really,” Cubs manager David Ross said of the decision to DFA Villar. “Just giving a guy that’s gonna be here an opportunity to get back. He’s worked really hard and you’ve got to create a spot somewhere.”

Bote (left shoulder surgery) was expected to come back early this month, but an ailment that the team described as bouts of dizziness delayed him. Bote revealed Friday that he’d been dealing with the issue for a couple years.

“Then it came to a head a couple weeks ago,” he said. “Got some stuff checked out, we’re managing it a little bit better, still trying to figure out what the exact cause of the thing is. But the doctors and the staff, everybody’s been super helpful.”

He said he lost 20 pounds, compared to his playing weight last year, and couldn’t keep weight on. He felt dizzy and nauseous. It got so bad that at one point he stayed in bed for 48 hours straight.

Though Bote said he still doesn’t have clarity on a diagnosis, he’s confident they’ll be able to manage the issue going forward.

Bote returned to his rehab assignment a week ago and went 11-for-22 in six games.

“I know it gave him an opportunity to revamp his swing,” Ross said. “… And he’s done a nice job of putting in the work, coming back, and been swinging the bat really well down there as of late.”

Bote originally dislocated his left shoulder in May of last year. He returned in late July and had barely been back for a month when he sprained his ankle stepping on a ball during batting practice, which landed him on the IL for another 10 days. Late in the season, he re-injured his left shoulder while swinging in the on-deck circle and opted for offseason surgery.

Young returns

Cubs bullpen coach Chris Young didn’t get any clear answers on why, during first inning of the Cubs’ game against the Pirates on Thursday he suddenly felt hot, lightheaded and broke out in hives. He said he never collapsed or lost consciousness.

“All day long I felt great,” Young said Friday. “In about 60 seconds later, I knew I needed some help.”

Young alerted assistant coach Jonathan Mota of his condition, and Mota called down to the dugout for assistance.

Young said all tests at the Allegheny General Hospital came back “great.” But they also didn’t believe his symptoms came from dehydration or heat stroke. He was out of the hospital by the 10th inning and resumed his full responsibilities on Friday.

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