CINCINNATI _ Manager Joe Maddon said he likely will leave Jason Heyward in the leadoff spot until Ben Zobrist's expected return near the end of the month.
"Until Zo comes back, that'll be the time to reconsider, based on how he's doing," Maddon said Saturday before the Cubs faced the Reds at the Great American Ball Park.
Zobrist, 38, started at second base and led off again Saturday for Class A Myrtle Beach, going 0 for 3 with a walk against Wilmington in the sixth minor-league game of his comeback attempt. He had homered in his previous two games with the Pelicans and is hitting .211 (4 for 19) with three RBIs with two Class A affiliates _ he played three games for South Bend last weekend.
Maddon said Zobrist, who last played for the Cubs on May 6 and went on the restricted list two days later, is making progress and should make it back to the Cubs.
"If he's playing that well, and I'm hearing good things" he said. "He will let you know, trust me. If he's feeling good or not, he'll let us know, straight up. There won't be any gray area."
Asked if Zobrist could arrive sooner, Maddon said "anything's possible," though team President Theo Epstein said last week that Zobrist spend some time with Triple-A Iowa before returning.
"I don't know the timetable to move him up," Maddon said.
After Saturday's game, the Cubs will reassess where to send Zobrist next.
