The Chicago Cubs made one aggressive move at the trade deadline, trading two prospects to the Washington Nationals for corner infielder Jeimer Candelario. The switch-hitter replaced Trey Mancini and although he did make an immediate impact, Candelario has hit a cold streak in the past month. Now, Candelario may go on the injured list.
Candelario started against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, but left the game following his at-bat in the fourth inning. After the Cubs were able to avoid a four-game sweep, beating the Diamondbacks 5-2, David Ross said Candelario was pulled because of a back issue.
Including his 0-for-2 performance on Sunday, Candelario is now slashing .183/.278/.385, in 126 plate appearances since his first two games against the Cincinnati Reds after he was dealt to the Cubs. If you recall, the switch hitter went 8-for-9, against the Reds in those two games back with the Cubs.
So far in September, Candelario is 3-for-27. At the very least he’s made those hits count, 2 home runs and a double, while drawing 6 walks, but also striking out 10 times in 35 plate appearances.
The Cubs are reportedly calling up their number one prospect in Pete Crow-Armstrong. ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported that the plan was to activate PCA to the 28-man roster on Tuesday. However, MLB.com reporter Mark Feinsand followed up by saying Crow-Armstrong could be on the team as soon as Monday night, when the Cubs begin their three-game series against the Colorado Rockies.
PCA went 4-for-5 during Sunday’s regular season finale at Triple-A with the Iowa Cubs. His great game included two doubles and his second grand slam of the week.
So, the big question now is who will Crow-Armstrong replace on the Cubs active roster. If Candelario’s back is something that will sideline him for more than a few games, then he’d go on the 10-day injured list. If it’s deemed as a minor issue, but won’t be available for a handful of games, then the Cubs may simply replace Alexander Canario with PCA.
Canario, who was called up on Sept. 1, has only had one plate appearance, a pinch-hit at-bat against the San Francisco Giants last Wednesday.
I guess there’s a chance that Miles Mastrobuoni is the one who gets optioned. The left-handed hitter has rarely been used off the bench since he was called back up to the Cubs in August.
You would think that PCA will get some actual playing time, especially because his defensive skillset can be valuable in big outfields this week on the road in Colorado and Arizona. Plus, it’s not like Mike Tauchman has done much to keep his every-day role during the last month.
So, we’ll find out later on who PCA will replace. At the very least, it could be a good thing to get Candelario some time to reset and hopefully he comes back strong. Prior to the trade deadline, Candelario had an .823 OPS in 99 games with the Nationals.
