Chicago Cubs: Robel Garcia earns honors, soon a call up

The Chicago Cubs Robel Garcia was selected to the week’s MLB Prospect Team, and he will likely receive a call up in September.

The Chicago Cubs Robel Garcia is continuing to tear it up the minors. Currently, with the Iowa Cubs, he’s earned the nod to this week’s MLB Prospect Team. Garcia hasn’t slowed down since returning to Triple-A, slashing .277/.361/.575 and an OPS of .937 combined among Double-A and Triple-A. He’s combined for 26 home runs and 71 RBI among all levels.

This week in seven games he’s had a slash line of .318/.375/.727 with three home runs and eight RBI. In 22 at-bats he’s struck out eight times, so he’s still prone to swing and miss. And he’s not a kid, as far as prospects are concerned. He’s 26 after spending three years in Italy before being signed by the Cubs.

It’s a feel-good story, but it isn’t done yet. Not if Garcia can help it. He didn’t just want to get a taste of the bigs, but he wanted to stick here. Theo Epstein had other plans, but it wasn’t Garcia’s fault. The Cubs were stuck in ‘roster shuffle’ mode, and he was just a statistic. But he’s going to get the call from the Chicago Cubs in September, and he’s going to have a chance to prove himself down the homestretch.

The Cubs are still in search of their second basemen. Ian Happ, Addison Russell and Tony Kemp are the recent candidates. Daniel Descalso is starting a rehab assignment in Iowa and should be ready by the end of the month. To be honest, if the rosters didn’t expand in September? I wouldn’t activate him. But that’s just me.

Worst case, Garcia builds value for next year. And facing big-league pitching, if he’s successful at it, can bode well for the Cubs. A 26-year-old hitter is a prospect, but time is wearing thin. He’ll likely move to ‘journeyman’ status because of his age, and also he played in Italy.

But if he does have a successful run with the Cubs at the end of this season, it can’t hurt. With a guy like Scooter Gennett granted his release from the Giants, they could make a move for a second baseman. Gennett lost time to Donovan Solano but still is unproven. The Giants moved on from Joe Panik so that they could be in the market for a second baseman.

It wouldn’t be a one-for-one trade, and the Giants are tapped out on bullpen pitchers. Tony Watson has a player option for 2020, and Will Smith is a free agent. The remaining pitchers are guys like Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto. Approach with caution. The Cubs wouldn’t be interested, but still.