Five moves the Chicago Cubs must make to have a chance

Chicago Cubs: Now is as good a time as any, I suppose

There’s no telling if Ian Happ‘s recent surge at Iowa will translate into meaningful adjustments at the big league level. You hope so, sure, but it’s an admittedly small sample size where he’s put up a much-improved line.

According to the Des Moines Register, Happ entered last Thursday’s contest hitting .327 in the month of July with a 1.076 OPS for the month of July. While his average has tailed off a bit over the weekend, the 24-year-old still boasts an impressive .439 OBP this month – with 16 walks to 18 strikeouts.

That last part is key – the Cubs sent Happ to Triple-A to drastically cut down on his strikeouts. And, at least lately, he’s done that. His improvement comes at a perfect time for one of two reasons. His trade value may be dramatically improved by that fact or he might be getting ready to make an impact on the big league club when they need it most.

Russell and Descalso have provided no value at second base – and the same can be said for Almora in center. Ian Happ, it just so happens, plays both of these positions. It’s hard saying whether or not the Cubs would tap their former first-round pick to come back and immediately be counted upon for a boost, but given the alternatives, they may not have much of a choice.