NEW YORK — The Cubs put shortstop Dansby Swanson on the 10-day injured list Saturday, ending questions about his availability in their final series before the All-Star break.
Swanson suffered a bruised left heel while trying to beat out a double-play grounder Wednesday in Milwaukee and hasn’t played since, so the Cubs were able to backdate the move to Thursday. He’ll be eligible to return for the series finale next Sunday against the Red Sox.
‘‘Let’s err on the side of giving him the extra two days coming off the break,’’ manager David Ross said before the Cubs’ 6-3 loss to the Yankees, ‘‘and hopefully he’s ready to go by then. That’s the hope.’’
Swanson is also hopeful, but he’s not making any promises.
‘‘Obviously unfortunate we’re in this position,’’ he said. ‘‘The biggest thing was just from a timing standpoint and getting the four days of the break. I feel like it was, in a way, a good insurance policy to not lose some of the retroactive days and things like that. So it stinks, but we had to make the best decision possible for the group. Hopefully I’ll be back out there soon.’’
In Swanson’s absence, second baseman Nico Hoerner has been filling in at short and Christopher Morel has been playing second. In a corresponding move, the Cubs recalled utility player Miles Mastrobuoni from Triple-A Iowa. He started at third base and had two of the Cubs’ five hits.
Swanson dealt with a similar injury to his right heel in 2019 with the Braves. It sidelined him for a month, but he said this issue is less severe. And he’s going into this IL stint with knowledge about the rehab process and the most effective treatment.
‘‘I’ve always used custom orthotics,’’ he said as an example, ‘‘but there’s a certain way you can kind of alter them a little bit to help alleviate some pressure.’’
MLB announced Swanson’s replacement in the All-Star Game, Diamondbacks infielder Geraldo Perdomo, on Friday. Swanson said he doesn’t plan to travel to Seattle for the event.
‘‘A little too far just to go to watch,’’ he said.
Not so Smyly
Left-hander Drew Smyly was out of the game before the fifth inning for the third start in a row. He allowed solo home runs to Giancarlo Stanton and Josh Donaldson in the first and second, respectively, and yielded a two-run double to Harrison Bader in the third. Overall, he allowed four runs, six hits and four walks in four innings.
‘‘I need to be more aggressive in the strike zone,’’ Smyly said. ‘‘It feels like I’ve — the last, like, five [or] six starts — just been nibbling a little bit, trying to be maybe too perfect hitting spots on the corners of the zone.’’
Smyly’s struggles have come after being a model of consistency early in the season. After a rough first start, he threw five or more innings and allowed two or fewer runs in nine consecutive starts. He posted a 1.78 ERA during that stretch and carried a perfect game into the eighth inning in a start against the Dodgers.
‘‘The All-Star break will be nice, just to have a little mental reset and get away for a little bit,’’ Smyly said. ‘‘But it wasn’t too long ago where I was having a lot of good outings in a row.’’
