After almost four months away, Ben Zobrist returned to the Cubs on Sunday.
Zobrist, 38, had been gone to handle a divorce from his wife, Julianna, and tend to his kids. Zobrist is not in the Cubs’ lineup Sunday, and manager Joe Maddon said it was unlikely he’d play in the series finale with the Brewers.
“I’m excited to be back in the clubhouse with the guys,” Zobrist said. “I got to go out on the field last night, take a few ground balls and hit [batting practice] and stuff. Wrigley Field is a special place. Any time you get a chance to be here, I don’t take it for granted. I’m excited to be back.”
Asked about the situation with his wife and whether he hopes to heal that relationship, Zobrist said “of course, yes. That’s how I feel.”
“This career is an incredible career,” Zobrist said. “I love this career, but that’s the reason why I took time off, to see what I could do there, to see what I could do taking care of my kids and making sure that they were OK through this scenario. That’s my hope and prayer.”
Zobrist was then asked if it was working.
“That’s a loaded question,” Zobrist said. “All I can say is, nothing has gone any further as far as … one way or the other, nothing has gone any further. There’s no legal action or anything like that happening right now. Just kind of a period of stability and patience I think is where we’re at.”
