When that time comes, the question will remain: How will his teammates respond to him? They're well aware of Russell's actions, which were revealed last September when his ex-wife detailed allegations of abuse. Russell accepted his 40-game suspension without appeal.
"He has done everything that has been asked of him and beyond from what I have been told," first baseman Anthony Rizzo said. "In life, you make a lot of mistakes and poor choices. Everyone who is going to read your story or listen to this has made a mistake in their life they are ashamed of. You learn and grow."
Rizzo expressed an understanding of the severity of the damage that Russell has inflicted while also sharing his hope that Russell has personally rehabilitated himself.
"He has done something that is not OK," Rizzo said. "He has hopefully grown from it. The reports are he has. When he comes back, he will be playing baseball. He will be doing what he loves to do. It's about making sure he is staying the course. It's about making sure he is bettering himself."
From a baseball perspective, the question looms of where Russell will play. He was entrenched as the team's starting shortstop since August 2015 until last September. In his absence, Javier Baez has blossomed at shortstop, playing well defensively while continuing to be an offensive force.
Russell has been receiving some time at second base at Triple-A Iowa during a seven-game stint there as his suspension winds down. Manager Joe Maddon has also acknowledged that creating positional stability for someone playing as well as Baez is beneficial, so Russell could be ticketed for second base when he returns to the Cubs.
"Hopefully, Addie comes back with his defense always there and his bat," Rizzo said. "I have heard he has been swinging it well. As long as we are playing good baseball, I don't care who is playing where. I will play center field as long as we are winning games. That is all that matters."
Rizzo doesn't believe it matters where anyone plays defensively, so long as everyone is buying in.
"All of our personal stuff is set aside when you are trying to win a championship," he said. "We want to win a lot of games, a division and get to the playoffs. The personal egos are set aside."