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OAKLAND – Cubs left-hander Brandon Hughes went through several different braces on his left knee while on the injured list for the first few weeks of the season.
Hughes, who the Cubs reinstated from the 15-day IL Saturday, ditched the bulkier brace, the kind offensive linemen wear in football. He opted for a compression sleeve with a circle of padding.
“The main thing was trying to get back to consistency,” Hughes said this weekend, pointing to the brace changes and efforts to reduce swelling. “... The big brace, I don’t think it was meant to be pitched in.