Ben Zobrist Expected to Report to Cubs Friday and Begin Single-A Rehab Assignment

Ben Zobrist has been out of baseball action since May 6, taking time away from the sport after going through a divorce with his ex-wife Julianna.

Well, it looks like the veteran's absence is coming to an end, as the 38-year-old is expected to report to the Cubs on Friday and set out for South Bend, Ind. for a Single-A rehab assignment.

Sources tell me that Ben Zobrist is expected to arrive in Chicago tomorrow and will be heading to South Bend to train with the Cubs Class A team for at least a few days. His plan for getting in baseball shape remains fluid for the next three weeks.
— David Kaplan (@thekapman) August 2, 2019

Zobrist will work to get back into baseball shape over the next few weeks in anticipation of rejoining the Cubs down the stretch.

He'll play in three games with the South Bend Cubs before being given a brief rest in order to not overwork himself.

Ben Zobrist will join the Class-A South Bend Cubs and play three games with them, then take a day off so as to not do too much, Theo Epstein says. Eventually, he'll work his way to Triple-A. #Cubs expect it to take most or all of August for him to round into form.
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) August 2, 2019

The plan is to have Zobrist work his way up the minors before making his return to Chicago, and if all goes to plan, the utility man could be back in the mix by the end of August or early September.

Prior to his absence, Zobrist was slashing .241/.343/.253 with 12 runs and 10 RBI across 26 games.