Discretion is the better part of valor, except when it comes to an athlete trying to play through an injury only they truly know the extent of. Playing at less than 100% not only hampers production, but can also lead to additional issues as the body compensates by shutting down or activating different links in the kinetic chain. That’s likely the case for Kris Bryant, who left Monday’s game with lower right oblique tightness that may well have been spurred by his wrist and finger issues.
It’s a case of slammed if you do, slammed if you don’t for Bryant, who still would have been called soft even if he’d sat out longer to recover more fully from those earlier nicks.