What ever happened to Chicago Cubs’ Junior Lake?

Midway through the 2013 season, Junior Lake made his big league debut with the Chicago Cubs. Things started off well and by the time the dust settled on the campaign, he had put together an impressive run as a rookie, raising expectations heading into 2014.

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After appearing in just 64 games as a rookie, he nearly doubled that number last season, appearing in 108 contests – but to a very different result. In 2013, he batted a respectable .284/.332/.428 for the Cubs, adding six home runs and 16 doubles in the process. But last year, he earned himself a demotion to Triple-A Iowa after batting just .211/.246/.351 in 308 at-bats.

With Iowa, he faired decently well in 14 games with a .262/.324/.400 slash-line for the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate. It was a step back from his last appearance in Des Moines, in 2013, when he batted .295/.341/.462 with the club – but still a step up from his big league performance earlier in the year.

Under team control through 2019, Lake now faces a very uncertain future in Chicago. He had a less complicated route to the big leagues and regular playing time before, but the call-ups of Arismendy Alcantara and Jorge Soler last year have made things less certain.

Last year, Chris Coghlan and Justin Ruggiano took the majority of reps in left field as the season wound down, while Alcantara and Soler handled things in center and right, respectively. Now, with Ruggiano in Seattle and Coghlan likely forming part of a platoon with recently-acquired veteran Chris Denorfia – Lake’s road back to Chicago remains unclear.

He could, of course, serve as backup outfield depth behind the aforementioned names in case of injury or issue, but two other alternatives seem more plausible. First, he begins – and likely spends – the season with Triple-A Iowa, where he finished 2014.

Second, he could be trade bait. Lake, just one season removed from a .760 OPS, could be packaged with the likes of Welington Castillo in a move that would alleviate congestion both behind the dish and in the outfield for Chicago.

The Cubs could still use pitching depth, potentially another middle-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, and Lake and Castillo could be packaged in a trade to address that need, while also netting some prospects in return.

It’s not to say that it’s time to abandon hope for his success, but one thing is for certain: with Soler and Alcantara already in the mix in Chicago and prospects like Billy McKinney, Albert Almora and potentially Kyle Schwarber ready to join the ranks in the outfield in the years to come – it may be time for the Cubs to get what they can for Lake.

Next: Get ready for a Denorfia-Coghlan platoon in left