PITTSBURGH – Cubs infielder Addison Russell was back in the starting lineup Thursday at PNC Park for the first time since getting beaned Sept. 8, four years and five months after he made his big-league debut in the same place.
Manager Joe Maddon sat his regulars the day after the Cubs were officially eliminated from playoff contention, which might say all that’s left to say about the kind of year Russell has had, not to mention his status with the club.
A year that started with Russell serving the final 28 games of a domestic violence suspension is about to end with the team’s most controversial figure staring at the likelihood he’s in his final week with an organization on the brink of major offseason changes.