NEWSLETTER
No point in burying the lede! The Chicago Cubs center fielder, Cody Bellinger, is officially back with the team just TWO WEEKS after fracturing multiple ribs on a collision with the center field wall. I’d say that’s as “best case scenario” as this could’ve possibly gone.
This return is an incredible boon to the Cubs lineup, which, despite some recent turnarounds, can definitely use a big left-handed bat like Cody Bellinger in the lineup again.
Cody Bellinger is Back!
As a reminder, although Cody Bellinger’s overall season numbers were just a hair over average when he went down with his injury (107 wRC+), he had actually just started getting hot. In fact, he had an eight-game hitting streak active when he collided with that wall, including 10 hits, three homers, and identical walk and strikeout rates (11.8%).
According to Craig Counsell, Bellinger will DH tonight (and the next few days) as he eases his way back into the fold. And with Seiya Suzuki still out and Christopher Morel’s defense at third looking steady, that will allow the Cubs to keep Pete Crow-Armstrong’s glove in center field and Mike Tauchman’s bat in the lineup (via right field).
It won’t be until Suzuki returns that any roster/lineup questions will arise. For now, this is just a big, obvious net positive.
Going down for Cody Bellinger is Alexander Canario, who just couldn’t find playing time with Mike Tauchman hitting and PCA’s superior glove and left-handed bat.
Other Cubs Roster Moves
But that’s not all. As we discussed early, Keegan Thompson has reemerged at Wrigley Field, and his return could only happen if a different pitcher was injured. That pitcher, sadly, is Daniel Palencia, who is reportedly dealing with some right shoulder stiffness.
Thompson had been pitching well on the whole, so I don’t hate to have him back, but we all saw the (inconsistent) flashes of dominance that Palencia can deliver. That said, Palencia also threw 23 pitches yesterday, so this could be at least partially about a proactive approach to bullpen shuffling/roster management.
Cubs Injury Updates
In other Cubs injury update news … Seiya Suzuki is beginning his rehab assignment with Iowa tomorrow (AWESOME), which means he could be back very soon, too. Meanwhile, both Drew Smyly and Jordan Wicks are throwing a bullpen today. That is particularly exciting with respect to Wicks. I really hope the Cubs were able to successfully avoid a major long-term injury, which is certainly where that felt like it was headed.
Just great news all around.
