Cubs' Kris Bryant leaves game after hurting finger on slide

Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryantsprained his left pinkie finger and is day-to-day.

He left Wednesday's game against the Atlanta Braves in the first inning after hurting his finger sliding into third base. The team announced that X-rays were negative.

The Cubs have an off day Thursday before returning to Wrigley Field to host the Cardinals. Bryant was not sure if he'd play Friday, but he was encouraged with how the finger was feeling.

"It's fine. It's good," he said. Dodged a bullet."

Bryant hit a one-out double in the inning. With two outs and knuckleballer R.A. Dickey on the mound, the ball squirted away from the catcher. Bryant took off and slid headfirst into third. He caught his fingers on the foot of Braves third baseman Johan Camargo and came up wincing.

"You slide into someone's foot and you think the worst-case scenario," Bryant said. "I was kind of scared to look at my finger afterward. I was like 'uh-oh,' this never ends up good. That was my initial reaction."

After the initial fear, Bryant said: "It's unbelievable how quickly it starts to feel better."

Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he doesn't think the injury is "anything debilitating."

"From what I understand it kind of bent his finger and might have got cut on the cleat a little bit," he said.

Tommy La Stella replaced Bryant at third base in the bottom of the first inning.

During his rookie season, Bryant said he was done with headfirst slides after hitting his head on then-Brewers shortstopJean Seguraand experiencing dizziness.

"I feel like I get there quicker," he said Wednesday. "Just baseball instincts take over. You want to be safe, to do anything you can, and as stubborn as we are sometimes that's what happens."

Bryant, the reigning National League MVP, is hitting .275 with 19 home runs and 40 RBIs. After Wednesday's win, the Cubs have won all six of their games after the All-Star break to pull within two games of the first-place Brewers in the NL Central.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.