In addition to the Patrick Wisdom call up, there are a bunch of other notable notes before tonight’s extremely important game against the White Sox.
Part of the reason Wisdom was called up is because David Bote is out:
Ross: David Bote had a flare-up with the minor injury issue he's been dealing with. Team still hasn't given specifics. But, that paved way for move to call up Wisdom. Ross didn't want to be short on infielders today.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) September 25, 2020
Wisdom, unlike Jose Martinez, can play in the infield if needed. But, in reality, there wasn’t gonna be much difference between the two. Maybe Wisdom gets an at bat, and maybe he runs into one. Would be fun.
In other banged-up third basemen news, Kris Bryant was able to take swings today and will work in the field:
Kris Bryant (right oblique) hit in the cage today pain-free and planning on getting some work on the infield, too.
— Tony Andracki (@TonyAndracki23) September 25, 2020
It’s still TBD if Bryant will play this weekend, and, if he doesn’t, what role he’d play in the postseason. I presume he starts the moment he’s healthy, though, even as badly as he’s struggled this year.
One guy we will see for sure this weekend is Adbert Alzolay, who’ll take that Sunday start instead of Jose Quintana:
Cubs are starting Adbert Alzolay on Sunday. Q should get a look out of the pen before the playoffs.
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) September 25, 2020
Since Quintana wasn’t really going to be a “starter” in the postseason anyway, this is fine by me. I’ve said for a while that I’d rather the Cubs just had Quintana available as a weapon out of the bullpen. As for Alzolay starting, well, man, if that new slider carries forward from his last outing, I really really want to see what he can do against the White Sox lineup.
Also: the White Sox have destroyed lefties this year. Might as well start a righty who might be able to go 5+ innings if you’re choosing among Quintana and Alzolay. (That said, here’s hoping that game is completely meaningless in the standings.)
One player the White Sox will be without this weekend is Eloy Jimenez. He’s got a mid-foot sprain and won’t play. The dude is raking this year to the tune of a .296/.332/.559 slash line (140 wRC+), so it’s a blow to the White Sox, who you’ll remember are trying to win the AL Central this weekend.
Lastly, the Cubs included top pitching prospect Brailyn Marquez on the postseason player pool list, but if he doesn’t pitch this weekend, I don’t see him making the actual playoff roster for his debut. David Ross watched him throw at Wrigley Field, and I think you can read between these lines:
Ross watched Marquez throw today at Wrigley. Liked what he saw but many questions remain due to lack of experience, finding right fit
— Mark Gonzales (@MDGonzales) September 25, 2020
If Marquez looked like he was ready to get big league hitters out, the “right fit” for a lefty who throws 100 mph is “anywhere you damn well please.” So, my take? The Cubs think he’s close enough to have around in case of emergency, but they don’t think he’s ready to contribute. It’s a bummer, but I know, I know – he has barely pitched even at High-A, and he’s only 21. It’s not like this is shocking.