I just didn’t think — like it was one of those moments where I just tried weighing options,” said Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong on Saturday. The third-year MLB player left Saturday’s game against the Nationals after the bottom of the sixth inning on Saturday after fouling a ball off his kneecap. His official injury designation is a right knee contusion.
Post-game x-rays were negative, which is good news for the Cubs. Crow-Armstrong had just returned from an injury absence earlier in the week, and he’s one of Chicago’s best players. As outfielder Kyle Tucker continues to miss time with a calf strain, the Cubs will need Crow-Armstrong back as soon as possible.
“I’m no use really out there if I’m not moving the way I should be,” Crow-Armstrong said. “So I felt that our best chance was not having me move around limply out there today. I’ve never fouled a ball straight off my kneecap before. I think it’s new pain. There’s definitely [stuff] that’s hurt worse, but this hurts. And the legs are just funny. That’s kind of how I help the cause on a daily basis is with my legs, so I mean…yeah it was a good stinger for sure.”
The Chicago Cubs are in the Thick of the MLB Wild Card Race
Ezra Shaw/GettySAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 26: Pete Crow-Armstrong #4 of the Chicago Cubs slides home to score against the San Francisco Giants in the fifth inning at Oracle Park on August 26, 2025 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
With an 81-61 record as of this writing, the Cubs currently rank second in the National League’s Central Division behind the Milwaukee Brewers. Currently six and a half games back in the division with 21 left to play, winning the NL Central is an extremely unlikely goal.
However, the Cubs are the current leaders in the National League wild card race. They are four games ahead of the San Diego Padres for the top wild card seed and five games ahead of the New York Mets, who currently hold the final wild card berth as things stand today. The Mets are four games up on the San Francisco Giants for that last spot.
As the home stretch of the MLB season gets underway, the Cubs are in extremely good playoff position. Winning the division would be a herculean task, but they are a near-lock for a wild card berth, and are the substantial favorites for the top wild card seed. Chicago hasn’t made the playoffs since 2020, but they’ll need to be healthy if they want to make some noise once they get there.
Pete Crow-Armstrong is One of the MLB’s Best Young Outfielders
Drafted by the New York Mets in 2020 after initially committing to play college baseball at Vanderbilt, Crow-Armstrong missed extensive time with an injury and was eventually traded to the Cubs in 2021. After spending some time in the Minor League, he made his MLB debut in 2023. but his breakout came in 2025. He was the fourth-fastest player in MLB history to reach 25 home runs and 25 stolen bases in a single season.
Pete Crow-Armstrong Opens Up About Injury After Leaving Cubs Game