NEWSLETTER
Bah. Don’t want to keep seeing this for guys that I wanted to get lots of playing time the rest of the way.
The latest is Alfonso Rivas, who was set to start in left field tonight, but instead is hitting the Injured List:
Alfonso Rivas goes to the 10-day IL with a right middle finger tendon injury (retro to 9/20). Nick Martini recalled from Triple A. Trayce Thompson in the starting lineup and playing right field. He bats 7th, Duffy moves up to 6th and the rest of the lineup stays the same.
— Sahadev Sharma (@sahadevsharma) September 21, 2021
Rivas, 25, may or may not be a regular contributor for the Cubs next season, but he was definitely already looking like a potential bench bat, at least. His role will be TBD heading into Spring Training, and he’ll have plenty of minor league options available. So I’m not all that concerned about the missed time here, as long as the injury isn’t serious (heck, he could still get in nearly a week’s worth of games). Still. Like I said, I just want to see all these “possible 2022” guys get plenty of playing time while they can.
Rivas, who can play first base, left field, and *maybe* right field, is currently hitting .318/.388/.409 over 49 plate appearances (120 wRC+) with the big league Cubs, after raking at Iowa. He is a potential timeshare guy at first base and in the outfield for the Cubs next year thanks to his unique skills at the plate.
