At a press conference following his team’s off-day batting practice session, Cubs President Theo Epstein announced that Kyle Schwarber had not been medically cleared to play outfield. Epstein said that after lengthy conversations with team doctor Stephen Gryzlo and Dr. Daniel Cooper, the physician who performed the surgery on Schwarber’s knee six months ago, the decision was made to keep Schwarber from playing defense for the remainder of the World Series.
“Medically the doctors were very convinced that there’s just too much risk in playing the outfield because of the dynamic actions involved,” Epstein explained. “The instantaneous reactions, the need to cut in the outfield, the dynamic, athletic movements that are unanticipated in the outfield.