What can the Chicago Cubs expect from their September call-ups?

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.