The Chicago Cubs are closing in on the top Wild Card spot in the NL, in the driver’s seat to host a best-of-three series next week barring an absolute collapse against the St. Louis Cardinals this weekend. But still, based on how the team has been playing lately — with a 32-31 record in the second half and six losses in their last seven games entering play on Friday — anxiety is high on the North Side right now.
Chicago got some news that should help ease that anxiety a bit ahead of Friday’s series opener, as star outfielder Kyle Tucker was activated off the Injured List. Tucker has been on the shelf for more than three weeks due to a calf injury, and while the Cubs’ offense fared alright in his absence, it certainly can’t hurt to welcome an All-Star back to the lineup — especially considering that Tucker was just starting to heat up again when he landed on the shelf. With Jed Hoyer largely sleeping through the trade deadline and Shota Imanaga struggling of late, it’s clear that Chicago is going to have to hit its way through the NL playoffs. Having Tucker healthy and rolling would help a whole lot in that endeavor.
But while everybody on the North Side should be welcoming Tucker back with open arms, his return also presents a tricky decision for Craig Counsell and Co. to handle. If Tucker is healthy enough to play, it goes without saying that he’ll be in the lineup on a daily basis come October; but unfortunately for the Cubs, the resulting roster squeeze could cost one of the team’s hottest hitters his path to consistent playing time.
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What does Kyle Tucker’s return as DH mean for Moises Ballesteros?
One of the main reasons Chicago’s offense has kept its head above water in Tucker’s absence — the Cubs are top-10 in team OPS and homers for the month of September — has been the emergence of rookie Moises Ballesteros. One of the team’s top prospects, he struggled in his first taste of the Majors earlier this summer; since returning to the big leagues after Tucker’s injury, though, he’s caught fire, hitting .324/.432/.595 in 44 plate appearances while batting cleanup on a regular basis.
He’s been among the team’s most valuable hitters, and his excellent K and walk rates suggest that’s not a fluke. So what’s the problem, then? Well, while Ballesteros came up through the Minors as a catcher, he’s clearly not ready to handle the position at the Major League level — the Cubs have yet to give him a single inning behind the plate so far this month, using him exclusively at DH. On Friday, though, the DH spot belonged to Tucker, as Chicago looks to ease him back into the lineup without reaggravating his calf injury.
All of which presents Counsell with a choice: Assuming Tucker’s calf isn’t sturdy enough to play the outfield on a daily basis, how do you portion out at-bats among he, Ballesteros, Seiya Suzuki and Ian Happ? That’s four players for three spots (the corner outfield positions and DH), and all four have a real claim to regular playing time. The easiest move would be to simply default to experience and track record and use the three veterans as your everyday starters. But Ballesteros has been too good, and the Cubs have too much riding on this season, to afford to be deferential.
Of course, Ballesteros’ platoon splits mean that he almost certainly won’t start against left-handed pitching. But Chicago figures to see more righties than lefties, and if Ballesteros isn’t starting against right-handers, it’s tough to justify his spot on the roster given that he can’t play the field and shouldn’t run the bases. Then again, if he doesn’t wind up on the postseason roster, expect the outcry to be deafening.
