Skip to content

Schwarber not giving up on catching following knee injury

David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Kyle Schwarber isn't ready to give up playing his primary position just yet.

Schwarber was promoted by the Chicago Cubs in 2015 as a catcher and owned a starting position as the club's backstop until about halfway through the season, when the team changed course and began to start him in left field.

It was there where he collided with teammate Dexter Fowler while tracking a fly ball in April, tearing two ligaments in his knee and being ruled out for the rest of the 2016 season. In his absence, the club has rolled with Willson Contreras behind the plate, but Schwarber wants to return to his old position once he's healthy.

"I know that he's more talented than I am behind the plate with some things, but I still think I can bring some things to the table and guide a pitcher," Schwarber told ESPN's Jesse Rogers. "I am not giving up on catching at all just because I have a bum knee.

"Buster Posey broke his leg, and he’s still catching."

Posey fractured his fibia in May 2011 in a home-plate collision with former outfielder Scott Cousins that also ended his season early.

The incident - which Cousins admitted was intentional on his part - sparked backlash across the league and eventually resulted in a rule change that prevented baserunners from intentionally slamming into a catcher without possession of the baseball.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox