Kris Bryant

Kris Bryant’s longstanding service time saga could be nearing its conclusion. MLB will address Bryant’s 2015 grievance at some point this week, reports David Kaplan of NBC Sports (via Twitter).

Bryant’s grievance concerns the date of his MLB call-up: April 17, 2015, one day after the date at which he would have accrued a full year of big league service. In other words, had the Cubs called Bryant up on April 16 or any day before, he would be scheduled to hit free agency after 2020. Instead, he’s currently ticketed for free agency in the 2021-22 offseason.

Of course, the Cubs (and onlookers) were fully aware of the service time implications at the time. Indeed, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams wrote the day of Bryant’s selection to the active roster, “the Cubs opted to delay Bryant’s promotion by 12 days in order to extend their control over the phenom for an additional season.” While Bryant’s case wasn’t the first to feature “coincidental” timing shortly after a relevant service barometer passes, it may have been the most visible. Bryant was then baseball’s top prospect, had destroyed the high minors the year prior, and was even coming off a monster spring training. While the Cubs justified Bryant’s demotion by citing defensive shortcomings, it seems as apparent now as it was then that Bryant’s promotion date was tied entirely to service reasons. As Bryant reflected to Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic in February, “now I can look back on it and just laugh about it because I was told to work on my defense…and I think I got three groundballs in those games that I played. So it’s like, ‘Oh, now he’s ready.’”

If Bryant and agent Scott Boras were to prevail and Bryant were awarded an extra year of service, the consequences would no doubt be far-reaching. Most obviously, Bryant would become a free agent in one year’s time instead of two, which would have enormous effects on the Cubs and potential suitors. After all, Bryant has more than justified his prospect hype, combining to slash .284/.385/.516 (139 wRC+) and accruing 27.8 fWAR in nearly five seasons. He’d certainly vault near the top of any free agent class he is a part of.

Equally interesting would be the ripple effects a Bryant victory could have on the league as a whole. Similar, highly-publicized situations have taken place in recent years with top prospects (perhaps most visibly with Vladimir Guerrero, Jr.). Bryant’s grievance, four years in the making, will certainly make for an interesting referendum on the permissiveness of prospect promotions so narrowly after service deadlines.

Cubs star Kris Bryant suffered a concerning ankle injury recently, placing his availability over the final week of the season in doubt. While it seems clear he’ll be limited, if he’s able to make it back at all, Bryant does not appear to have suffered an injury with long-term repercussions.

MRI results have yet to be announced formally by the Cubs. But Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com hears that Bryant has been diagnosed with a grade 2 sprain (Twitter link). That’s enough to sideline a player for a decent stretch, depending upon specifics and pain tolerance. But it shouldn’t hamper Bryant’s offseason efforts.

Losing Bryant at this juncture of the season certainly stings. But the tide had already turned on the Cubs’ season when he exited over the weekend. And it’s not at all likely his presence would impact the outlook in a material way. The Cubs need a miracle with a four-game deficit in the Wild Card race.

If this is the end of the year for Bryant, it has been quite a good one. He’s carrying a .282/.382/.521 slash line with 31 home runs through 634 plate appearances. That’ll set him up for a big raise on his $12.9MM arbitration salary in what will be his second-to-last season of arb eligibility.

4:48pm: Per Rogers, Bryant will undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the severity of the sprain.

3:12pm: In a worrisome scene at Wrigley Field today, Cubs star Kris Bryant was helped off the field after suffering an apparent ankle injury that occurred when he slipped on first base trying to beat out a ground ball. Cubs fans can breathe a sigh of relief, with Jesse Rogers of ESPN reporting that initial X-rays did not reveal any broken bones, as Bryant has been diagnosed with a sprained right ankle.

The injury looked awfully similar to the one suffered by Bryce Harper in 2017 when he hyperextended his knee after slipping on the first base bag. However, it looks as if Bryant has escaped the worst-case scenario—though a sprained ankle certainly isn’t a favorable outcome, either. Similar to Harper’s injury, the base was we because of light rainfall in Chicago.

The situation was made more nerve-wracking in light of Bryant’s nagging troubles with knee soreness throughout the season. He was able to put very little weight on the right leg as he was helped off the field, replaced by Ian Happ.

As the Cubs see their playoff chances diminish by the day, another injured star would only be a fitting nail in the coffin, given what has happened to Javier Baez and Anthony Rizzo in recent weeks. The Cubs entered the day three games behind the Brewers, who are in line for a Wild Card berth. With only seven games to play (including Sunday) the margin for error is only shrinking in Chicago.