Andrew McCutchen Is Down For A Minute, But His Bat Is On A High

In 2019, Andrew McCutchen had surgery on his left knee after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament.

Recently, the Philadelphia Phillies outfielder felt some discomfort in the same knee and he was sent to the injured list on August 1st.

McCutchen has been an important part of the Phillies lineup and his bat has helped the team scratch its way to the top of the NL East. 

He came through clutch on July 26th, hitting a walk-off three-run home run to lead the Phillies past the Washington Nationals.

 

While McCutchen was sent to the injured list, the veteran has been feeling good despite being sidelined.

“We’re progressing in the right direction,” McCutchen told the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I’m hoping the closer we get to the 10 days I’ll be ready to go.”

When he started feeling discomfort in his knee, he got an MRI and it revealed that it was only inflammation.

Now that’s good news for Phillies fans because the team can’t afford to lose McCutchen for the rest of the season with the way he’s been playing.

At the same, the Phillies definitely wanted to be cautious with McCutchen and not let him play through it. 

“Initially I was like, ‘Shoot, [it’s] a knee. Let’s figure this thing out,’ ” McCutchen said. “But once I got the OK that I’m OK, I was like, ‘All right, I can get back out and go after it.’ ”

 

McCutchen has dealt with injuries throughout his career, so he’s no stranger to body care. 

McCutchen knows that if it was up to him he would be playing, but the Phillies have something different in mind.

“I can go out and run right now, but of course they want to have a plan,” he said. “My plan is different from theirs. I could be out shagging fly balls right now. I’m sure I’ll be doing some type of running or something [Friday] and kind of go from there.”

The five-time All-Star hopes to return to the lineup soon and even maybe sooner than expected. 

Unfortunately, injuries are a part of the game and the Phillies want to make sure McCutchen is at full strength before he returns.

Not only has McCutchen been one of the top hitters for the Phillies, he’s been one of the top sluggers in the National League over the last two months.

Going into play on August 5th, McCutchen ranked seventh in slugging percentage (.574), tied for seventh in home runs (13), and tied for 10th in RBI (37) since the beginning of June.

Our MLBbro made a complete turn around from the beginning of the season to up to this point now. 

He’s shown that he’s still a force to be reckoned with at the plate and the power is still there at 34-years-old.

Through 98 games he’s hitting .234 with 20 home runs and 58 RBI.

Once he returns to the lineup, McCutchen will continue to play a key role for the Phillies as they look to make the playoffs.