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Well, we got a mix of good news and some head-scratching roster moves being made by the Cubs this week. Let’s begin with the good. Dansby Swanson, who has not played May 7, has been activated off the injured list after getting over a knee sprain. Miles Mastrobuoni, who has been filling in recently at shortstop, has been sent down to Triple-A Iowa, while the reported call up of infield prospect Luis Vazquez is expected to be announced tomorrow.
Meanwhile, Nico Hoerner, who was sidelined since last Monday in Atlanta because of a hamstring issue, is not going on the injured list. Cool. So, Hoerner and Swanson are going to be ready to go for the Cubs’ series opener Tuesday at Wrigley Field against the Braves. However, there is one more roster move that has been posted. Swanson is back, pushing out Mastrobuoni, but who is getting demoted now that Vazquez is being called up?
Well, you would think the obvious answer would be Nick Madrigal because having two right-handed hitting, glove-first backup infielders seems redundant, but Madrigal is safe for now. The Cubs are shockingly optioning rookie outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong to Triple-A as part of their latest roster shuffle according to the team’s official transactions page.
I…I don’t know man. What? Why? Huh?
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Again, this has been weird ever since the Vazquez call up was reported following Sunday’s series finale against the Pittsburgh Pirates. It’s fine. You get a strong defensive infielder to serve as depth on the major league roster, so that’s why Mastrobuoni gets the bump to Iowa. But what’s the point of keeping Madrigal around and then you demote PCA?
And I get it. It’s not like Crow-Armstrong has been tearing up since his call up in April, but if you’re talking about how to maximize your active roster give me the guy with several tools and an elite skillset in defense and speed that PCA has over Madrigal, who’s only value is hitting and he’s only batting .221 this season.
I just don’t get what the Cubs are doing here with this specific move.
Beyond the PCA decision, the Vazquez promotion continues to baffle me. What’s the point of that move because Madrigal is still probably ahead on the depth chart. Why not just bring up Brennen Davis, who has been on fire, to serve as another right-handed hitting option instead of Vazquez, who has been slumping at the plate for three weeks.
I try to remain open to suggestions as to why certain moves are made, but I don’t see an explanation that makes too much sense right now.
Consider the idea that they want to give PCA a few weeks of constant ABs instead of getting rusty sitting on the MLB roster. Personally, I think they’re looking out for his long term development. I’ve long held the opinion that the Madrigal experiment is and has been a bust. Before his injury with the White Sox he was a legitimate SB threat, he’s flashed none of his former self since being here.
Cosigned