The Cubs made a series of transactions in advance of tonight’s game against the division-rival Pirates. Most notably, center fielder Jason Heyward is headed to the COVID-19 injured list. He won’t count against the 40-man roster while he’s on the IL, and Chicago selected reliever Brandon Hughes to the majors in his place. The Cubs also optioned Conner Menez to Triple-A Iowa and recalled rookie Christopher Morel from Double-A Tennessee.
The team didn’t specify whether Heyward has tested positive for the virus. Manager David Ross told reporters (including Jordan Bastian of MLB.com) he’d been battling body aches and dehydration but is feeling better at the moment. Under the league’s 2022 health-and-safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club, though it’s possible to be reinstated in less time if the player has gone 24 or more hours without a fever, received a pair of negative PCR tests, and been given approval from a team physician and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed and one union-appointed physician).
Heyward is off to another slow offensive start. He’s hitting just .208/.288/.264, collecting only three extra-base hits (two doubles and a triple) through 80 trips to the plate. That’s not too dissimilar from his .214/.280/.347 showing over 104 games last season. Aside from a resurgence during the truncated 2020 season, Heyward has posted average or worse numbers at the plate throughout his tenure in Chicago. The five-time Gold Glove award winner has continued to play excellent defense in right field, and he’s worked as the team’s primary center fielder this year.
Rafael Ortega will probably hold down center with Heyward out. The left-handed hitter owns a .236/.333/.361 line in 29 games while bouncing between all three outfield spots and designated hitter. Ortega, a depth outfielder for the bulk of his career, posted a career-best .291/.360/.463 showing last season. That strong work was propped up by a .349 batting average on balls in play that has regressed towards his career norms.
Morel could work his way into the center field mix as well. The 22-year-old primarily played on the left side of the infield during his early days in the low minors, but he’s begun to log more time at all three outfield spots of late. The native of the Dominican Republic draws praise from evaluators for his athleticism and arm strength, so he could play a multi-positional role off the bench.
The righty-hitting Morel has been on the Cubs’ 40-man roster since the 2020-21 offseason, but this is his first MLB promotion. He’s posted big numbers with the Smokies in the early going, hitting seven homers with a .306/.380/.565 line over 28 games. He checked in 16th among Cubs’ prospects at FanGraphs and 29th at Baseball America this past offseason. Both outlets suggested Morel’s swing-and-miss propensity is likely to keep him as a utility type but praised his power potential.
Hughes is also in position to make his MLB debut. The left-hander was a 16th-round pick in 2017 coming out of Michigan State. A college center fielder, he converted to pitching in 2018 after a rough season at the plate in A-ball. Hughes took to the mound and has posted excellent minor league numbers, with a 1.96 ERA over 91 2/3 innings of relief. He has fanned 34.3% of career opponents against a manageable 8.6% walk percentage — with that latter mark standing out as particularly impressive control for someone so new to pitching.
This season, Hughes has split the year between Tennessee and Iowa. He’s yet to allow a run over 16 2/3 innings, serving up just five hits and a trio of free passes while punching out 22. Hughes has never appeared on an organizational ranking at FanGraphs or at BA, but that dominance in the upper minors will earn him a big league look.
In other Cubs’ news, Ross provided reporters an update on Marcus Stroman (via Bastian). The offseason signee has been out since May 8 after landing on the COVID list, but he’s been cleared to rejoin the club. Stroman threw a bullpen session today and could make his next start if he responds well to today’s mound work.
wow those Minors numbers are good.
for Hughes that is
Cubs have quite a few promising LH P currently coming through their minor league system. Hoyer and his staff are doing a heck of a job.
I’m hoping they resign Wade Miley and keep Hendricks and maybe Stroman – I haven’t seen enough of Stroman though. Add them along with Keegan Thompson and maybe Alzolay or Kilian – they could be very close to having a nice rotation.
Miley is as good as gone at the deadline. A contender will gladly sacrifice a high-end prospect for him. He’ll be owed only 5mil at that point. Of course they can resign him after the season.
kinda reminds me of kenley jansen, but with a lower walk rate (kenley was converted from catcher, took almost no time to make it to the majors, little better in terms of strikeouts, but worse in terms of walks until he hit the majors).
checked to see if hughes pitched in college.
he did, but just 7 relief appearances as a sophomore, didn’t go very well.
I believe Rowan Wick also was a catcher in the minors.
No need for Jason to rush back. If it takes a year or two to get healthy that’s a-ok.
Wonder if he caught Covid from all the maskless fans in the stands that he was worried about last year
He was pretty vocal last year that he wouldn’t get vaccinated, him and Rizzo. Rizzo must have eventually done it since he went with the team to Canada.
As always, we await developments.
It’s hard to believe Heyward is only 32. I hope he figures it out and is able to play into his late 30s.
Cubs fans would be happy if Heyward could figure out how to do ANYTHING other than ground out to second base.
Hey, he is equally adept at grounding out to the first baseman.
And the shifted shortstop
Heyward. The worst free agent in MLB history. It looked bad when he was signed.
Somehow the cardinals lucked out into pujols and heyward signing elsewhere… they could’ve been buried.
Maybe, but he called a meeting during a rain delay in Cleveland. The rest is history
Bauer, Pujols
Heyward is not even close to being the worst but he’s been pretty awful. I would say Jacoby Ellsbury, Pablo Sandavol, Carwl Crawford hold high honors over J-Hey.
I’d also place BJ Upton, Josh Hamilton and Ian Desmond well above Heyward.
Jason Heyward declined faster than pujols, miggy, basically every overpriced player the last 20 years. Worst part is he was like 25 or 26 when he signed his deal. All the others were early 30’s… I blame him as the reason the cubs failed to sign any of their core… can’t overpay those guys when you already have 1 overpaid bum.
Heyward was not the reason the Cubs failed to sign any of the “core” guys, he didn’t help but that honor falls squarely on the Cubs being unable to develop any pitching.
You cannot sign “core” players when your rotation is making 100 million dollars…. Look at 2020 alone:
Lester 20 million
Quintana 10.5
Chatwood 13 million
Darvish 22 million
Hendricks 14 million
Then you had Mills and Alzolay
Thats 80 million and dropping another 16 million on Kimbrel. and that isn’t considering the rest of the pen.
Theo also screwed up the 2020 season, his off season goal should have been to get under the luxury tax by unloading Chatwood and Quintana vs. putting all his focus into moving KB.
Lastly, the “core” made their own decisions to not extend. Bryant, Rizzo and Baez all turned down fair extension offers. I believe that we do not have the whole story regarding Bryant also. The Cubs never revisited an extension after the first one was offered, contrarily they worked very hard to trade him… then the Giants were “unimpressed” with Bryant during his time in San Francisco. Typically you do not hear teams flat out say that they have no desire in bringing a guy back, especially one with Bryants talent and after hitting the cover off the ball during the playoffs.
2019 was even worse.
Nah, the Cubs can afford to be a luxury tax team but they choose to sit 80-100million below. Heyward isn’t blocking anything. They didn’t want to keep the players they traded away, they chose to go a different route and only time will tell if that was wise.
Brutal free agent signing of Heyward, most deals now are short term, this one seems endless
One more year of Heyward sleep walking through a season and then the Cubs can bounce him. Oh joy! To be released from this anchor! How does the man handle the shame!!??
Oh, forgot, entitled athletes have no shame. Enjoy one more year of slacking justy, ‘cuz then you’re toast ‘cuz…..
When Heyward is finally released by the Cubs he will retire AND collect the remainder of his contract. If he retires now he loses the 40 million left to be collected. This was one of the worst free agent signings ever considering the value of the contract given.
For the life of me, I’ll never understand how a guy who is 6’5 and 240 pounds is a slap hitter. You would think that having that type of leverage he would have such insane natural power (like he did when he was in his early 20’s). I could see Heywards batting average and on base being poor if he was selling out for power but the guy makes constant weak contact and I just do not understand how. His swing literally looks like fighting every pitch off.
“They figured him out and he could not adjust.” How many players could have that written on their tombstone.
Yea the guy has literally the most awkward swing I’ve ever seen. Its a shame, he looked like a generational stud when he first came up. Dunno what happened there.
Morel’s ML debut was epic. Loved his energy after wards. No other place could you get a curtain call on your first ML hit/HR than wrigley.
I hope he stays with the 26 man roster.