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Willson Contreras remains out of the Chicago Cubs lineup, but manager David Ross says an IL stint is unlikely

CINCINNATI — The last thing the struggling Chicago Cubs need is catcher Willson Contreras sidelined by an injury.Contreras was not in the lineup for Monday’s series-opening 7-4 victory against the Cincinnati Reds, still considered day to day while nursing a tight right hamstring. However, manager David Ross was confident Contreras won’t go on the 10-day injured list.Advertisement“We’ll give him a couple of days to rest up, but, yeah, he’s good,” Ross said. “Status quo.”That would be the best outcome after Contreras exited Saturday’s game against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the third inning after feeling something in his hamstring when he stole second base. Teams can backdate a player on the IL up to three days, making Tuesday important for Contreras’ progress if he indeed will avoid the IL.AdvertisementWhile the Cubs want Contreras, their hottest hitter, in the lineup, there’s no reason to rush him back. Hamstring issues have bothered Contreras in the past, landing him on the IL in 2017 and 2019. This type of injury can be particularly troublesome for a catcher with the flexibility and movement needed behind the plate.The Cubs can ease Contreras back into the lineup as the designated hitter, a spot they’ve used to manage his defensive workload. It doesn’t help either party if Contreras returns too quickly and potentially worsens the ailment.[ [Don’t miss] Column: The futures of Tony La Russa and Willson Contreras could lie in past White Sox and Cubs seasons ]Even with uncertainty about when Contreras will be back in the lineup, the Cubs are moving closer to a healthy roster. Infielders Nico Hoerner and Nick Madrigal, outfielder Clint Frazier and left-hander Sean Newcomb are all eligible to come off the 10-day IL when ready. Hoerner (right ankle sprain) took batting practice Monday at Great American Ball Park and is expected to take grounders Tuesday.“He’s progressing well every day,” Ross said. “Hopefully in a few days. We’ll see. He’s close.”Madrigal (lower back strain) did agility work in the outfield pregame. Ross said Madrigal had a really good day Sunday and the team will continue to monitor him. Ross indicated a rehab assignment might be coming up for Madrigal.Ross did not have an update on the return of Frazier (appendectomy), who has played five games on his rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa. Newcomb (left ankle sprain) will begin a rehab assignment with Iowa on Tuesday.ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 18Cubs designated hitter Frank Schwindel, left, and third baseman Patrick Wisdom celebrate the win on May 22, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Life on the big-league taxi squad can create unexpected free time for a player in limbo.P.J. Higgins joined the Cubs taxi squad May 9 in San Diego and spent the next eight days with the team. That meant no game action until he rejoined Triple-A Iowa on May 17 in Des Moines, appearing in four games before the Cubs called him up Sunday.AdvertisementHiggins promptly hit a three-run triple in his first at-bat.“It feels like I’ve been constantly packing my suitcase going here and there, here and there,” Higgins told the Tribune. “But, honestly, I didn’t think too much of it. Being on the taxi squad and not getting at-bats was unfortunate, but you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do. … I don’t know if there’s any real trick to doing it. Just kind of go with the flow.”[ [Don’t miss] How sidearm reliever Scott Effross developed into a weapon for the Cubs: ‘He’s not fazed by the moment’ ]Higgins tried to maintain his typical hitting routine during his time on the taxi squad. He continued his cage work and hit on the field if he got the opportunity. He also caught bullpen sessions and worked with catching coach Craig Driver to maintain his catching form.Higgins’ preparation during his eight days away from Triple A worked: He went 7-for-11 with three doubles and seven RBIs in the four games with Iowa before getting promoted.“I just tried to prepare myself the way I did before when I wasn’t playing and just mentally get myself going,” Higgins said. “But I’ll be honest, the first couple of games, I was tired, especially catching. My legs were a little tired, so that was a bit of adjustment.”Cubs catcher P.J. Higgins hits a three-run triple in the second inning Sunday, May 22, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)Returning to the majors is particularly satisfying for Higgins, whose first big-league call-up ended after nine games last June because of season-ending surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his right forearm. He began a throwing program in November and was fully cleared about two weeks before spring training.Advertisement“Having that little bit of experience does help a lot to calm your nerves because you’ve been in Wrigley, you’ve been in big-league stadiums, you’ve been around the locker room, you know the travel schedule,” Higgins said. “So a little experience does a lot more than you think, even though it was a short period of time.”Barring an IL move, Higgins might not see much playing time, but he gives the Cubs insurance for catcher Yan Gomes while Contreras is unavailable. After the work Higgins put in over the offseason to come back from surgery, the 2015 12th-round pick is grateful for every opportunity.“It means a lot that they have the trust in me to bring me up and fill in for Willson while he’s out,” Higgins said. “It shows that they’ve paid attention throughout all these years.”Cubs starer Wade Miley pitches against the Diamondbacks in the first inning Sunday, May 22, 2022, at Wrigley Field. (Brian Cassella / Chicago Tribune)By now, left-hander Wade Miley is no stranger to returning to a ballpark he used to call home.Chicago Tribune SportsWeekdaysA daily sports newsletter delivered to your inbox for your morning commute.The Cubs are Miley’s eighth team in 12 big-league seasons. This week’s four-game series at Great American Ball Park is his first trip to Cincinnati since the Cubs claimed him off waivers from the Reds in November.Miley stopped by the Reds weight room before Monday’s game to say hi to former teammates and staff. He bear-hugged infielder Mike Moustakas, a teammate during both of Miley’s seasons in Cincinnati (2020-21), at the top of the visitors dugout steps during Reds batting practice.Advertisement“We got really close over there, spent so much time together,” Miley told the Tribune. “The whole COVID thing, like, we were together in the hotels — you could slip out to play some golf, that’s about it — so you’d spend a lot of time with those guys and we got really close, learned a lot about each other. It was really cool.”[ [Don’t miss] Cubs President Jed Hoyer is confident his long-term game plan is working: ‘We’re on the right track’ ]Miley won’t get to face his old team this week after starting against the Diamondbacks on Sunday at Wrigley Field. But the Cubs and Reds are slated to play 15 more times after this series, giving Miley good odds of squaring off against his ex-teammates at some point this season.And when that time comes, who will have the edge between Miley and Reds hitters?The only matchup Miley has an eye on is if he faces a Reds catcher who caught him.“He literally knows what I’m about to do, but it’s more fun,” Miley said. “Like, if it’s Kyle Farmer, he’s going to give you the best bat of the night because we’re so close. He doesn’t want to get the text after it. I don’t want to get the text either. So we’re going to go after each other pretty hard.”

Sports

QB Nick Foles, released by the Chicago Bears this month, signs with the Indianapolis Colts to back up Matt Ryan

INDIANAPOLIS — Now Nick Foles and Frank Reich can start diagramming the “Indy Special.”The Indianapolis Colts announced Monday they signed Foles to a two-year contract that reunites the quarterback and coach who combined on a trademark play call to help the Philadelphia Eagles win the Super Bowl in the 2017 season.AdvertisementFoles adds depth behind 37-year-old Matt Ryan, the 2016 league MVP whom the Colts acquired from the Atlanta Falcons in a March trade. And the signing gives Reich a proven backup, someone he knows well and who had long been rumored to be Indianapolis bound.“I love Nick Foles,” Reich said last August when the rumors began after Carson Wentz injured his foot in training camp. “I haven’t talked to him, but I think he’s a great player, I think he’s proven that. I think he’s a great teammate. There’s nothing about Nick Foles that I don’t like. I think he’s a winner. He’s certainly a guy that fits our kind of culture, but he plays for the Chicago Bears.”Advertisement[ [Don’t miss] 3 Bears storylines to watch, including Justin Fields versus Mac Jones — and Lucas Patrick’s nasty edge ]Foles spent the last two seasons in Chicago but appeared in only one game in 2021. The Bears still were paying him under the four-year, $88 million contract he signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019. The Bears released the 10-year veteran May 1.It didn’t take long for Reich and Foles to get back together.Two weeks ago, they appeared together in Buffalo at Reich’s Call to Courage Awards breakfast. Monday’s announcement means they’ll be spending time working at the Colts complex, figuring out how best to use Foles and maybe even replicate his touchdown catch in the Super Bowl that was dubbed the “Philly Special.”“Frank was the one who recognized before the playoffs that the way that we were designing plays for me wasn’t exactly my strength,” Foles said on a November 2019 conference call, referring to the only season they were together in Philadelphia. “He was someone who observed that and he impacted me because he recognized that in me.”ExpandAutoplayImage 1 of 65Nick Sacrinty, left, played in 11 games during the Bears’ 1947 season. (Chicago Tribune)A backup to Wentz in Philadelphia, Foles took over late in the 2017 season when Wentz injured his knee. He led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, outdueled Tom Brady in a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots and was the game’s MVP.He also helped the Eagles win a playoff game against the Bears at Soldier Field the next season before joining the Jaguars. Foles barely played in Jacksonville after breaking his collarbone in the season opener.He eventually landed in Chicago, where he backed up Justin Fields last season.[ [Don’t miss] 4 things we heard from Bears assistant coaches, including Justin Fields reinforcing expectations ]By adding Ryan and Foles, the Colts have solidified a position at which they didn’t even have a clear starter in mid-March. They traded Wentz to the Washington Commanders after just one season. They got Ryan for a third-round pick when it became clear the Falcons were looking for Ryan’s successor.AdvertisementNow, with two Super Bowl-playing quarterbacks, the Colts have one of the league’s most experienced quarterback depth charts.Foles has played in 68 career games (56 starts) with five franchises, including two stints with the Eagles. He has completed 1,277 passes for 14,003 yards with 82 touchdowns and 43 interceptions. He has started six postseason games with 1,633 yards, 11 touchdowns and five interceptions.The Colts released quarterback James Morgan to make room for Foles on the roster.

Sports

NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins drank ‘heavily’ before dying on South Florida interstate

FORT LAUDERDALE — Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins died with alcohol and ketamine in his system and had been out at a South Florida club where he drank “heavily,” records from the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office released Monday say.Haskins, 24, died April 9 after he was hit by two drivers on Interstate 595 near the Fort Lauderdale airport, first by a dump truck driver and then by the driver of a Subaru Outback, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.AdvertisementHaskins died from multiple blunt-force injuries, and his manner of death was an accident, the report says.[ RELATED: 911 calls released: NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins had run out of gas before he was struck and killed on I-595 ]The Medical Examiner’s Office report says Haskins had been training in South Florida with his teammates, and they all went to dinner. Then Haskins and a relative went to a club, possibly in Miami, where they “drank heavily” and separated after a fight.AdvertisementHaskins’ alcohol levels were at 0.20 and 0.24, the toxicology report found from two separate samples. A driver is considered to be driving under the influence in Florida if the blood-alcohol content is at 0.08 or more.NFL quarterback Dwayne Haskins throws a pass in 2020 at Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale. Haskins died from multiple blunt-force injuries, and his manner of death was an accident, a medical examiner’s report says. (Joe Cavaretta / South Florida Sun Sentinel)A urine sample also came back positive for ketamine and norketamine, which is found in the body after ketamine is metabolized. Ketamine is “a dissociative anesthetic,” according to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, that can be used as a sedative and pain reliever and also may cause hallucinations.The report does not say how much of the drugs was detected in the sample. It notes that Haskins’ medical history was unknown, but he did not take daily medications.The Steelers’ head of security told investigators Haskins did drink alcohol “heavily sometimes” and “would never take any unknown substances” and did not use illegal drugs other than marijuana, the report says.[ RELATED: Dwayne Haskins, NFL quarterback who died in South Florida, described as ‘selfless’ by coaches, teammates ]Drivers reported seeing Haskins “waving cars down” while in the shoulder on the westbound side of the interstate, the report says, before the Interstate 95 northbound exit.He had run out of gas, pulled over to the side of the highway and got out in search of fuel about 6:15 a.m., the Medical Examiner’s report says. The 911 calls started pouring in about 6:33 a.m.One woman who saw Haskins waving cars down told investigators she saw a man wearing all black, standing on the right shoulder of the road waving at cars. By the time she pulled over, parked and went to help him, he had already been hit, the report says.The driver in the dump truck told investigators a man suddenly appeared in the center lane he was driving in, sending him into the left lane. The Subaru driver tried to swerve to avoid hitting him, nearly hitting a median wall, the report says.AdvertisementTroopers found the abandoned car on the side of the highway with a woman inside. She said she had been with Haskins since about 7 p.m. Friday up until he got out of the car to find a gas station.The report does not say what Haskins relationship to the woman who was waiting inside the car was.[ RELATED: NFL QB Dwayne Haskins killed after getting hit by truck on I-595 near Fort Lauderdale airport ]Haskin’s wife, Kalabrya, told a 911 operator that her husband told her he was “stuck on the side of the highway” and would call her back once he got gas, according to the call released by FHP in April. But he never did.“I don’t want you to panic, but I’m going to be honest with you,” the 911 operator said. “We do have an incident on the highway, but I can’t confirm if that’s your husband or not.”Both drivers stopped and no criminal charges are expected to be filed in his death. Fire rescue crews pronounced Haskins dead at the scene at 6:48 a.m.In a statement released Monday through her attorney Rick Ellsley, Haskins’ wife asked for privacy and “for the public to withhold any judgment during this period while the law enforcement authorities continue to investigate and conduct their important work.”AdvertisementSun Sentinel staff writers David Fleshler and Chris Perkins contributed to this report.