Craig Counsell dropped a mini bombshell on Wednesday, when he announced that veteran right-handed hitter Tyler Austin underwent knee surgery earlier this week and will be out of action for months. Austin, who signed a one-year, free agent deal with the Cubs this past offseason, had a solid chance to make the Opening Day roster, but that spring training competition just got a lot more interesting.
Austin put up good power numbers during his six seasons playing in the NPB in Japan after he spent the first four years of his pro career in MLB with the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers. The right-handed slugger was projected to be the back up at first base, getting some plate appearances against left-handed pitchers and potentially some time filling in for Ian Happ in left field.
Although Austin didn’t have one of the bench spots locked down, Counsell did say on Wednesday that Austin did have the inside track to be on the Opening Day roster compared to the other players that were also brought into spring training to compete for a bench role. Austin will now be recovering from patellar tendon debridement, which certainly opens the path for another veteran to win a job out of spring training.
Counsell spoke to reporters and addressed what the absence of Austin meant for the remainder of spring training. Via Marquee Sports Network.
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“The ripple effect, it’s an opportunity for others essentially, yeah. [Austin] I would say had an inside track, so it’s an option that’s off the table right now, so it opens up opportunity for others.”
The Cubs will carry 13 position players on their 26-man roster. Here’s a quick projection of their starting nine, which will leave us with the players left competing for those final couple bench spots.
Projected Starting Lineup
Michael Busch
Nico Hoerner
Alex Bregman
Seiya Suzuki
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Ian Happ
Carson Kelly
Moises Ballesteros
Dansby Swanson
Opening Day Roster Battle
That leaves two open bench spots because Miguel Amaya and Matt Shaw are slotted into the other two. Now that Austin is out of the picture the Opening Day roster battle comes down to the following players.
Michael Conforto
Dylan Carlson
Chas McCormick
Kevin Alcantara
Justin Dean
Owen Miller
Scott Kingery
The biggest winner following the knee surgery to Austin might just be the newly signed veteran Michael Conforto. He has a much better opportunity to earn a roster spot as Conforto can provide a solid left-handed bat option off the bench, which the Cubs currently do not have. Meanwhile, Dylan Carlson and Chas McCormick may end up going head-to-head to be the team’s fourth outfielder as both guys have experience in center field.
The Cubs probably still want Kevin Alcantara to develop more in Triple-A, so he’ll most likely begin the year getting every-day at-bats in Iowa, while Justin Dean is also a depth option in the minors. I don’t really see Scott Kingery fitting in, but Owen Miller could have a decent shot because of his defensive versatility. Miller has played all over the infield and has even logged some games in the outfield throughout his MLB career. He also has a connection with Counsell in Milwaukee.
Who do you have taking the final two bench spots on the Opening Day roster? Right now I’m leaning toward Conforto and Carlson.
