(CBS) Kyle Schwarber is en route to Cleveland on a private jet and will join the Cubs for Game 1 of the World Series as the designated hitter, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports.

Schwarber played in the Arizona Fall League on Monday, going 1-for-3 with a double to right field. The Cubs sent him to the Mesa Solar Sox recently to get him ready for a potential appearance in the World Series as he nears the end of his recovery from a gruesome knee injury in the first week of the regular season.

The Cubs have yet to confirm Schwarber’s presence for the World Series, but manager Joe Maddon spoke of him during media day on Monday.

“He’s swinging the bat well,” Maddon said. “He’s running really well, actually.

“Right now, he’s doing everything well and right. He’s given us another option to think about.”

Schwarber can serve as a designated hitter during games at Progressive Field in Cleveland and as a pinch-hitter in games at Wrigley Field. He’s not expected to play defense in the field.

Schwarber suffered a torn ACL and LCL in his left knee in early April in an outfield collision with Dexter Fowler. Cubs officials were adamant in the ensuing months that Schwarber wouldn’t return this season. Saturday was the first that it was publicly acknowledged he could return before 2017.

President of baseball operations Theo Epstein first brought up the idea of a Schwarber return with owner Tom Ricketts about one-and-a-half weeks ago, Ricketts told the Mully and Hanley Show on Monday morning.

There’s no “sentimentality” in including Schwarber on the roster, general manager Jed Hoyer said earlier Monday before a decision had been made.

“If we do put him on the roster, it’s because we think he can hit a homer, honestly,” Hoyer said on the Boers and Bernstein Show on 670 The Score.

Back in August, Schwarber left the door open ever so slightly to a return when 670 The Score’s Mark Grote asked if there was “any chance” of a comeback in 2016.

“There’s no comment on that — most likely probably not,” Schwarber said. “So we’re shooting for spring, but I’m going to push myself as hard as I can to come back as soon as I can. It sounds like it’s going to be spring.”

Schwarber hit .246 with 16 homers and 43 RBIs in 69 regular-season games as a rookie in 2015. He also hit five homers in the playoffs, a franchise record.

The Cubs face the Indians in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday night in Cleveland. First pitch is at 7:08 p.m., and the hometown call can be heard on 670 The Score.