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What can the Chicago Cubs expect from their September call-ups?
Searching for answers, the Chicago Cubs better hope that they strike gold with at least a few of their likely September call-ups when rosters expand.
So what kind of impact can the Chicago Cubs expect when the rosters expand on Sunday? Well, unfortunately, based on how they’ve been rehabbing and playing lately, not a whole lot.
The headliner is, of course, the highly anticipated return of 2016 World Series MVP Ben Zobrist. The 38-year-old veteran has been away from the team since May 6 due to personal reasons but has been working his way back through the Cubs minor league system.
However, his comeback has been a rough road to this point. Zobrist has played a total of 12 games during his four stops though the minors where he is hitting just .189 at the plate. To be fair, his on-base percentage is a more palatable .333.
I along with nearly every Cubs fan out there am rooting for a Zobrist return, but given his age after missing so much time this season, the early returns are quite worrisome. It doesn’t help that even before he took some time away from the game where he was hitting nearly a career-low .241 with just one extra-base hit.
If nothing else the Cubs surely miss his leadership and are dying to get his presence back in the clubhouse as soon as possible.
Chicago Cubs: What value lies in guys like Descalso, Almora?
The same can be said of Daniel Descalso. The Cubs will look to have his veteran presence back in the clubhouse but aside from that, they shouldn’t expect much.
Descalso struggled mightily with the Cubs before going on the injured list and in his seven games with Iowa his struggles have continued. He has a slash line of .118/.250/.471 and has gone 2-for-17 at the plate.
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His two hits came in his first two games back and were actually home runs. But since his second home run, Descalso has gone 0-for-14 over the next five games. He is in quite a funk and I think it’s clear he can’t help the Cubs on the field.
It’s safe to assume that Albert Almora will likely be back with the Cubs after his recent demotion. He handled it the right way, showcasing a team-first mindset to help his club, but unfortunately that hasn’t translated to his play on the field.
Almora has played in only eight games with Iowa but he is hitting worse there than he was with the Cubs. He’s now hitting below .200 – at just .194 where he has six hits in 31 at-bats.
There will probably be questions as to why the Cubs should even bring him back up if he’s hitting like that. But the answer is simple and it’s always been the same; his glove. Now that the Cubs can carry an extra outfielder he can serve as a defensive replacement without taking up a roster spot.
I’m sure everyone can agree that they would still rather have Almora in the game as a late-defensive substitution as opposed to Kyle Schwarber or Nicholas Castellanos.
Chicago Cubs: Has Garcia learned to adjust at the dish?
While Almora can give the Cubs a boost on defense, Robel Garcia could help the Cubs with the bat. The switch-hitting second baseman came up earlier in the season and seemed to give the Cubs a spark on offense. Maybe he can do the same thing again in September.
He’s currently one of the hotter hitters in Iowa from a power standpoint. He’s homered in three straight games and has homered five times since being sent down on July 31. Garcia, of course, has had his struggles with strikeouts and that has continued. He’s struck out 24 times since being sent down and has gone down on strikes at least once in his last six games.
Next. We’re still talking situational hitting four years later. dark
The Cubs certainly aren’t getting the cream of the crop with some of these guys coming up. Zobrist and Descalso both seem more like clubhouse guys than anything at this point. Almora can help the Cubs in late-inning situations with his glove and Garcia could be a nice bat off the bench. If nothing else they can spell some of the starters and hopefully help get everyone healthy for what we hope could be a playoff run.