Cubs: Three outfield depth options as the injuries continue to pile up

Cubs: Cameron Maybin, Ian Miller are waiting down at Triple-A Iowa for a chance

To say Cameron Maybin’s season isn’t off to the start he’d hoped for is putting it mildly. With the Cubs’ Triple-A team in Des Moines, the veteran outfielder is batting an atrocious .050/.095/.200 over the first five games.

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He split last year between the Tigers and Cubs, slashing .247/.307/.387- although he was stronger at the plate with Detroit than he was in Chicago. His performance was enough for Jed Hoyer to bring him back into the fold this offseason, though. In spring training, Maybin hit .222/.263/.333 which, again, tells you what to expect from him offensively.

He’s a light-hitting backup outfielder at this point in his career. So even with him in the mix at Chicago (assuming they add him to the 40-man roster) – it’s a definite drop-off from what you’ve gotten from Marisnick this season.

Can Miller finally crack the big league roster given a chance?

Fellow Triple-A outfielder Ian Miller could also be an answer – but he faces a lot of the same questions surrounding Maybin. This year with Iowa, the 29-year-old is hitting only .176/.333/.176 – which hardly inspires confidence when you think about him coming to Chicago.

Across eight Minor League campaigns, he carries a .273/.340/.356. But that hasn’t ever really translated to the bigs – which renders his above-average speed a moot point. Miller has swiped 243 bases in his time in the Minors, but in a very limited taste of MLB action, he’s managed just a .412 OPS.

In short, the Cubs options are pretty limited. I suspect Martini is the guy given neither Maybin, Miller or Rafael Ortega, another I-Cubs outfielder, are on the 40-man. At this point, what the Cubs need most is for Happ and Hoerner to get healthy – and hope that Marisnick’s injury isn’t of the lingering variety.