Zobrist's wife filed for divorce Monday, though Zobrist was placed on the restricted list by the Cubs last week.

Cubs' Ben Zobrist remains on leave as wife files for divorce


Cubs left fielder Ben Zobrist's wife has filed for divorce, which appears to explain his leave of absence from the team.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Julianna Zobrist (whose maiden name is Gilbert) filed for divorce Monday after 14 years of marriage and there isn't a reason listed in the court documents.

Zobrist, 37, asked to take a personal leave from the team a week ago, and Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he's been texting Zobrist to make sure he's all right.

When asked by reporters when he expected Zobrist to return, Maddon said he had "no indication."

"I texted with him the other day and reminded him how much I care about him, how much we miss him," Maddon said, via ESPN.

Julianna Zobrist, who is a singer, had been seen at Ben's side throughout major milestones in his career. She has performed the national anthem for teams that her husband has played for and also sang the anthem before Game 4 of the 2016 World Series, which the Cubs won.

She was also with Ben when he started his career in 2005 with the Rays and then moved on to the Royals. He was with Kansas City when it won the World Series in 2015 and then joined the Cubs in time for their World Series win.

The couple have three children together.

The Cubs have said Zobrist's absence is because of a "personal matter."

Before he took time off May 8, Zobrist was hitting .241 with 10 RBIs in 26 games.