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Chicago Cubs to learn more about Kimbrel after bullpen session

The Chicago Cubs will find out more Sunday about the immediate future of closer Craig Kimbrel.

Kimbrel is scheduled to throw a full bullpen session as part of his comeback from right-elbow inflammation, an ailment that has had him on the injured list effective Sept. 2.

Manager Joe Maddon was asked Saturday if it's possible Kimbrel might not pitch again this season.

“Anything is possible, that he could be back sooner, or that,” he said. “Playing catch and doing the bullpen (Sunday) is going to tell us, will give us a lot of direction after that bullpen.”

This is Kimbrel's second stint on the IL since the Cubs signed him as a free agent in early June and activated him June 27. A knee ailment put him on the shelf in August.

Keepsakes for Nico:

Rookie shortstop Nico Hoerner has the ball from his first major-league home run. Hoerner homered Friday on the first pitch of his first Wrigley Field at-bat. The ball landed in the shrubbery beyond the center-field wall.

“I was kind of lucky where it ended up because it ended up in the little bushes, which was a little hidden place that no one could get to,” he said. “Someone obviously knew how to get there. It was in my locker after the game. It kind of had some scratch marks and some mud on there, which is cool.”

Hoerner also received a laminated copy of the lineup card from Friday's game. He hit his second career homer in Saturday's 14-1 victory over the Pirates.

Hoerner has impressed the Cubs since he was selected from Class AA Tennessee earlier in the week to fill the void left by the injuries to shortstops Javier Baez (thumb) and Addison Russell (concussion protocol).

Baez is out for the regular season, and there is no update on Russell. Joe Maddon said he has not thought ahead to when and if Russell comes back.

“Nico's performance cannot be overlooked,” Maddon said. “That was the first pitch he saw yesterday? Come on. The thing I'm really focused on is the defense. He's really done a nice job on defense, which we really need at that moment out there. The offense has been a plus.”

Center of attention

The top 20 centers in the NHL, according to NHL Network. (Statistics are from last season).

Player, team G A Pts.

1. Connor McDavid, Oilers 41 75 116

2. Sidney Crosby, Penguins 35 65 100

3. Nathan MacKinnon, Avalanche 41 56 97

4. Aleksander Barkov, Panthers 35 61 96

5. John Tavares, Maple Leafs 47 41 88

6. Auston Matthews, Maple Leafs 37 36 73

7. Patrice Bergeron, Bruins 32 47 79

8. Steven Stamkos, Lightning 45 53 98

9. Mark Scheifele, Jets 38 46 84

10. Brayden Point, Lightning 41 51 92

11. Tyler Seguin, Stars 33 47 80

12. Ryan O'Reilly, Blues 28 49 77

13. Evgeni Malkin, Penguins 21 51 72

14. Sebastian Aho, Hurricanes 30 53 83

15. Jack Eichel, Sabres 28 54 82

16. Evgeny Kuznetsov, Capitals 21 51 72

17. Logan Couture, Sharks 27 43 70

18. Nicklas Backstrom, Capitals 22 52 74

19. Sean Monahan, Flames 34 48 82

20. Elias Petrersson, Canucks 28 38 66

<b>Top 5 honorable mentions</b>Jonathan Toews, Blackhawks 35 46 81

Sean Couturier, Flyers 33 43 76

Dylan Larkin, Red Wings 32 41 73

Matt Duchene, Predators 31 39 70

Mathew Barzal, Islanders 18 44 62

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