It’s big Cubs prospect roster news day, apparently!
After a long delay thanks to a shoulder injury in Spring Training, the Cubs’ top prospect Eloy Jimenez is finally ready to get his minor league season underway:
Hey @Cubs, hold our drink… We've got some roster news to share too!@Lamantha21 has been assigned to MB. He is batting fourth tonight! pic.twitter.com/OiBnfuqOUD
— MyrtleBeachPelicans (@Pelicanbaseball) May 13, 2017
Jimenez, 20, is universally regarded as a top 20 prospect in the game, with some services putting him up near the top 10. He suffered a bone bruise in his shoulder in Spring Training, and has been nursing it back to health at extended Spring Training ever since.
Jimenez hit .329/.369/.532 in his breakout campaign as a 19-year-old at full-season Low-A South Bend in 2016. Ever since then, we’ve been patiently awaiting the opportunity to see him lay waste to another level of professional baseball. That starts today.
Given his now abbreviated season, it’s possible Jimenez winds up sticking with the Pelicans all year, which wouldn’t be a horrible thing, as he’s still just 20 years old. But if he shows that the level is not a challenge for him, I wouldn’t rule out a mid-season promotion to AA. Jimenez is Rule 5-eligible in December, by the way, so he’s going to be added to the 40-man roster after the season either way.