

The Athletic has learned that Kyle Schwarber will join the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League on Saturday night with the open possibility of returning to the team as a designated hitter if they advance to the World Series.

While the Cubs face Clayton Kershaw for the right to make their first World Series since 1945, Schwarber will be taking cuts at Sloan Park and the goal is to hit in Cleveland next week, according to a major league source.

After months of people joking about his return as a DH, it’s now possible the Cubs’ all-time postseason home run leader would return from a knee injury much earlier than expected.

In the Cubs’ third game of the season in Arizona, Schwarber collided with center fielder Dexter Fowler and tore the ACL and LCL in his left knee. He underwent surgery shortly thereafter and was ruled out for the entire season.

As the trade deadline approached, Cubs president Theo Epstein repeatedly had to shoot down suggestions that the team may move their prized left-handed slugger. Rumors swirled that the Cubs coveted New York Yankees lefty reliever Andrew Miller and the price would be Schwarber.

Cubs left fielder Kyle Schwarber is introduced prior to the home opener this season. He tore his ACL and LCL in the third game of the season in Arizona. (Dennis Wierzbicki/USA TODAY Sports)

As Schwarber began working out publicly before games, Epstein also fought off questions as to whether he would return at some point this season, repeatedly pointing to spring training, with winter ball as the earliest point the slugger may get some game action. Apparently, Epstein was just playing it safe.

For the conspiracy theorists out there, there was always a sliver of hope.

Reporters watched as Schwarber went from walking with crutches and a large brace to just a slight limp to doing some running activities on the field to actually getting a nice workout on the field prior to Game 3 of the NLCS at Dodger Stadium.

Whenever reporters broached the topic, Schwarber would never completely rule out the possibility of playing again this season. Just the other day, Cubs ace Jon Lester talked about how hard Schwarber has been working to get back from injury.

“He’s there every day working his butt off,” Lester said. “You see him coming in from the weight room and he’s drenched and we know how hard he’s working to try to get back to help us. He doesn’t look for attention. You turn around and he’s drenched and soaking wet in sweat and just gone through a working and there’s a very slim chance he could be playing for us.”

Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber throws the ball during workouts the day prior to the start of the NLCS baseball series at Wrigley Field. Now he might return for the World Series. (Jon Durr/USA TODAY Sports)

“A very slim chance” caught some reporters’ ears. Apparently, it wasn’t just a slip of the tongue.

But the Cubs still need to get through Clayton Kershaw on Saturday and a possible Game 7 on Sunday.

And no one is sure if Schwarber can actually handle game at-bats. There isn’t much of a learning curve with World Series rosters due Tuesday morning. But if he can swing, the Cubs can sure use him.

After slugging 16 home runs and posting an .842 OPS in 69 games in his rookie season last summer, Schwarber was a star in the postseason as well.

Schwarber, an outfielder/catcher, slashed .333/.419/.589 in 31 plate appearances in October. He hit a pair of mammoth home runs – one in the wild card game that reached the Allegheny River in Pittsburgh and another in the NLDS against the Cardinals that famously landed on top of the right-field video board. In total, Schwarber slugged five postseason home runs, remarkably making him the Cubs’ all-time leader.