NEWSLETTER
Last night, Iowa Cubs outfielder Greg Deichmann was a late scratch, which immediately got me wondering about HUGS. No, not trade hugs, since that ain’t happening in August anymore. Instead, I was wondering about promotion hugs – could he be getting a chance to come up and show what he can do over the final couple months of the big league season?
Well, according to his Story on Instagram, it was indeed a promotion hugs situation:
YES! Per his IG story, Cubs outfield prospect Greg Deichmann (Chafin trade) is coming up to the big team today. I hope he starts immediately. pic.twitter.com/9yp3M3BBso
— Bleacher Nation (@BleacherNation) August 6, 2021
Deichmann, 26, was a primary piece in the Andrew Chafin trade with the A’s, and you can read much more about him here from Bryan. A big strong dude and a former top prospect out of LSU, Deichmann has dealt with injuries as he climbed the ladder, and has worked to improve the contact in his game (because the raw power is significant). He was barely striking out at an above-20% clip at Triple-A this year, split between the A’s and Cubs, so that’s definitely impressive. Now the power just needs to be added back in.
Given his age and the injuries, the prospect shine wore off a bit, but he’s been promoted at a steady pace, and it’s still on the table that he could emerge as a starting-caliber bat in the big leagues, even if being a 4th/rotational outfielder type is more likely. I’m really excited to see him get a look.
As for whose spot Deichmann takes on the big league roster, I wonder if there’s an injury we don’t know about? Jason Heyward didn’t play either of the final two games in the Rockies series, for example. Or are the Cubs ready to bounce Jake Arrieta, knowing that Justin Steele is coming up next time through? So Deichmann comes up for the four days in between, and then the Cubs figure out the rest later? We’ll see.
