Schwarber cleared to resume catching duties
When position players of the Chicago Cubs report to spring camp on Feb. 17, manager Joe Maddon will have some added defensive flexibility because of some good news about Kyle Schwarber.
The 23-year-old slugger, who missed all but two games last season after tearing his ACL, has been cleared by doctors to resume catching duties behind the plate, according to multiple reports.
Schwarber, who was drafted out of Indiana as a catcher in 2014 - and came through the Cubs' minor-league system playing behind the dish and in the outfield - would serve as the team's third-string, emergency catcher behind Willson Contreras and Miguel Montero, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.
The Cubs plan to allow Schwarber to catch once or twice per week in spring training to prepare for the role, although he's still expected to spend most of his time playing in left field.
Schwarber has caught 21 games - 136 innings - at the big-league level, all of them in 2015.
The slugger also owns a .242/.353/.479 career slash line with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs in 71 games.
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