NEWSLETTER
It’s not overly surprising at this point, both in terms of the calendar and the volume of injuries, but Nick Madrigal’s season is officially over.
David Ross confirmed that the current groin strain is going to keep Madrigal out through the end of the season:
Two different groin strains and a back injury sapped Madrigal of a huge chunk of the season, and his production never really found its footing outside of a hot stretch in August. Madrigal finishes the season hitting .249/.305/.282/70 wRC+ over just 59 games. A disappointing debut for all parties.
For those reasons, despite his success in college, the minor leagues, and in two partial seasons with the White Sox, I don’t think you can enter Spring Training saying you know what you have in Nick Madrigal. He’s a guy who could be your starting second baseman and leadoff hitter, or he’s a guy who could rotate in as a high-contact bat to balance out your lineup in certain match-ups, or he’s a guy who might have to really battle for an Opening Day roster spot. It’s impossible to know as we sit here today.
That’s why Sharma’s point is spot on: it’s a huge offseason for Madrigal. He needs to get his body in the right place so he can put his best foot forward in February and March. He is 25 right now and he does have minor league options remaining, so as undesirable as it would be, the Cubs do have some flexibility with respect to Madrigal if he’s not clearly one of the top 13 position players on the roster come Opening Day.
The process of making sure that doesn’t happen, though, starts this offseason.
