Maddon on Ben Zobrist's personal leave situation


by - Senior Editor -

Another day and another 24 hours without Cubs veteran Ben Zobrist.

Zobrist has been away from the Cubs taking a leave from the ballclub and was placed on the restricted list. No specifics were made, but it is for family/personal reasons.

Cubs manager Joe Maddon spoke with 670 The Score recently and said that he would support Zobrist during his time off.

"Yes, he would be the first to admit that he wasn’t quite himself [this year],” manager Joe Maddon. “We are just wanting this to work out for him obviously and be patient with the whole thing. I will stay in touch with him in a different way and being a good ear for him when it is necessary. Those are the things you do in these moments. You think about your internal relationships with your family. You never run away from your folks, from your people regardless of how awful the situation is or seem you need to be there for them.”

Cubs President of Operations Theo Epstein told reporters recently that he can't go into specifics, but he granted leave for Zobrist.

"The only thing appropriate for me to communicate is he's requested a leave of absence from the team for personal/family reasons," Theo Epstein said Wednesday afternoon. "That leave was granted, and he'll be away from the team for a period of time. If and when it's appropriate for him to provide further detail or clarification, he will."

There is no timetable for Zo's return to the ballclub. For the season, the 38-year old is batting .241 with 10 RBI.

Hopefully, this is nothing too serious for Zo or his family at this time. Everyone at CubsHQ.com would like to wish them the best on whatever they are going through.

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