Cubs' Kris Bryant out of lineup for 3rd straight game since beaning

CHICAGO -- The Cubs are in a wait-and-see mode in regard to star third baseman Kris Bryant, who was hit in the helmet by a pitch in a game against the Colorado Rockies on Sunday. Bryant missed his third full game Thursday when the Cubs faced the first-place Milwaukee Brewers.

Bryant cleared all concussion testing the day he got hit, but the Cubs say he isn't quite ready to return.

"Day-to-day kind of stuff," manager Joe Maddon said before the Cubs beat Milwaukee 1-0 Thursday. "I'm not anticipating anything awful or bad. We're just waiting for everyone to be on board. Once we do that, he'll be back out there playing."

The decision is mostly Bryant's to make, according to Maddon, who said Bryant might be available off the bench Thursday night. But it's possible the former MVP needs a few more days after being hit by a 96 mph fastball fromGerman Marquez in the first inning of Sunday's game. He walked off with help from Maddon and the Cubs' training staff and subsequently passed all tests.

"I'm just listening to him, listening to what his needs are right now. And making sure the medical procedures are being followed so we do everything right," Maddon said. "It's never going to be a unilateral decision on my part to insist that he plays, ever. ... I really feel strongly that he's going to be fine, but I don't want to push it."

Teammate Anthony Rizzosays he thinks Bryant is heading in the right direction.

"He seems good," Rizzo said. "It's a scary thing."

Bryant hasn't been available for reporters as he continues to be "under evaluation," according to the team. He has taken swings in the cage the past few days with the training staff monitoring and was to see the Cubs team doctor Thursday as well.

"It happened early in the season and we have a lot of baseball left to be played," right fielder Jason Heyward said on ESPN 1000 on Wednesday.

"He's going to have to put that behind him here pretty quickly."

Heyward broke his jaw when he was hit by a pitch late in 2013 but said the thought of going to the playoffs got him through when he returned. It was the following year in which he had some lingering effects.

"The next season, it was kind of awkward at times when facing left-handed pitchers for a while," Heyward said.

Bryant could be taking his time simply until he feels comfortable again to step into the batter's box. Maddon was asked what Bryant's loss means to the team as the Cubs are 2-1 without him, including the game in which he was hit by the pitch.

"If you're the manager on the other team and I send the lineup over and he's not on it, you kind of smile or snicker a little bit," Maddon said. "The whole thing changes. The length of the lineup changes. Everything changes.

"It's hard to maintain a high level success when you're missing guys like that. You can battle through it briefly, but in the long term you definitely don't want to lose him for long period of time."

Bryant was hitting .319 with when he went down. He leads the majors this season in hit by pitches with seven.