Cubs' Kyle Schwarber out for the season with knee injury

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Schwarber will be out for the rest of the season due torn ligaments in his knee after a collision with Dexter Fowler, Cubs officials said Friday. He also has a severely sprained ankle.

A full MRI revealed full tears in Schwarber's ACL and LCL.

Schwarber and Fowler collided Thursday night as they chased a line drive in left-center during the second inning of their game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Fowler made contact with Schwarber's legs.

Schwarber, the fourth overall pick in the 2014 draft and Chicago's backup catcher, stayed on the ground for several minutes before being helped to his feet and driven off the field in a cart. The Cubs won the game 14-6.

The Cubs recalled infielder Munenori Kawasaki from their Triple-A team in Iowa, and said he will be available starting tonight as they continue their season. He has previously played for the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. He also played professionally in Japan for 11 seasons.

Schwarber, 23, made his major league debut last year. He then hit a franchise-record five home runs in nine postseason games.

While Schwarber won't be on the field Monday night for the home opener, fans are staying positive.

"This is bad luck right off the get-go," said George Corso, a Cubs fan at Sluggers in Wrigleyville.

"One player doesn't make a team. And these guys are a team. And I think they've got what it takes still to go the rest of the way," said Allison Burek, another Cubs fan.

Schwarber was a fan favorite during last season's playoff run. Who could forget his moon shot against the Cardinals? The homer became a part of Cubs lore and fans went nuts after the ball ended up on top of the right-field scoreboard. The Cubs even enclosed it in Plexiglas for the rest of the playoffs.

"Dude, everybody loves him. He's a down-to-earth guy. You feel like you could just go out and have a drink with him or something. He seems like a very down-to-earth guy," said Robert Wolfe, a Cubs fan.

But now his season's over. The 23-year-old slugger injured two ligaments in his knee.

"If you injure 2 or more ligaments that recovery can be a little bit longer or somewhat more complicated in terms of more surgical time, more swelling, more stiffness," said Dr. Nikhil Verma, Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush.

For a snake bitten franchise, could Schwarber's knee be a bad omen, like Bartman and the billy goat?

"No. No, no, no. I don't even want to talk about the C-word," Wolfe said.

"Nope. It's not The Curse. Cubs are going all the way this year, man," Burek said.

No one in Wrigleyville is counting out the Cubs. Fans said they are confident in this team's depth and in Manager Joe Maddon to make it all work.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.