Levine: Cubs' Kyle Schwarber Won't Play Winter Ball

By Bruce Levine--

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (CBS) -- After mulling over the positives and negatives, the Cubs in conjunction with slugger Kyle Schwarber have decided not to send him to winter ball this offseason as he continues toward a full recovery from a serious left knee injury suffered last April.

Schwarber was hurt in the third game of the 2016, tearing his ACL and LCL in his left knee. He had reconstructive surgery and after attacking rehab relentlessly, he surprisingly came back to the club during the World Series. On the game's biggest stage, Schwarber was a force, hitting .412.

The consensus from the time of injury through August was that winter ball would enhance Schwarber's rehab. But with Schwarber having made the postseason appearance, the feeling now is that he should stick around this country and the Mesa, Ariz. complex for his offseason work.

"We feel he proved he can hit major league pitching again," general manager Jed Hoyer joked. "We are not going to have him play winter ball. We will just have him keep doing his rehab here until spring training. He will go back and forth between Chicago and Mesa."

Schwarber was a catcher in college and filled that role sparingly during his 2015 rookie season. Now, it looks more like he'll be a full-time left fielder, but the Cubs will continue to consider their options.

"That is a hurdle we have not gotten over yet," Hoyer said when asked if Schwarber will catch again. "Can he do it? There is no question that he will want to do it and can do it. We just haven't had any discussions on how heavy a workload we put on him in that regard. He does know he is coming into camp as a left fielder. We have to decide how much of the catching drills he will do."

Schwarber was the sensation of late 2015. He captured the imagination of the fans and the baseball landscape by hitting a homer that stuck on the right-field video board in the National League Divisional Series against the Cardinals. In 2015, he hit 16 homers in 232 at-bats. Schwarber was the team's first-round pick in 2014.

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.