The Chicago Cubs got some welcomed injury news Tuesday morning. After a rough two-week stretch of players getting hurt, hurt players heading to the IL and players on the IL suffering setbacks in their rehab, the Cubs announced that they are ready to add a crucial player back to their team after a stint on the injured list. Ian Happ had been out for 10 days with a left oblique strain, creating a massive hole on this Chicago Cubs roster. The left fielder, lead-off man and clubhouse leader is back though, and joining the team in Miami ahead of the second game of their series against the Marlins.
The Chicago Cubs were hopeful that Happ could make his return to the lineup on time, but with the injury luck that they have had this season, Happ’s ability to stick to that timeline comes as a surprise. It was unclear at the time of the injury if Happ would even need time on the IL, but the team ultimately determined that it would be best if he was on ice for 10 days. In his absence, Moises Ballesteros got his first taste of major-league action. The 21-year-old top prospect for the Chicago Cubs will now head back to the minors after his brief introduction to MLB.
Ian Happ Back with the Chicago Cubs
Happ has been a bastion of durability throughout his nearly decade-long career with the Chicago Cubs. Earlier this season, he celebrated his 1000th career game on the north side of the Windy City, a milestone that snuck up on fans but reminded them of Happ’s reliability. That’s what made his recent trip to the injured list so stunning. After taking a swing in a Friday night game against the New York Mets, Happ didn’t feel right and sat out the remainder of the series. He was then placed on the 10-day IL with a left oblique strain.
Combined with all of the other injury news plaguing the Chicago Cubs recently, missing Happ was a tough blow. The absence of Happ was especially tough given that the Cubs are a division-leading team with rivals fast approaching. The injury luck of the Chicago Cubs may be flipping though, as the team announced Tuesday morning that Happ is set to come off the IL and join the team in Miami ahead of the second game of their series against the Marlins. Getting their left fielder, lead-off man and team leader back at this juncture is huge for the Chicago Cubs. They’re hoping that this brief stint on the IL is the only time that Happ misses all year.
Fitting Happ Back In
Adding Happ back to this lineup pushes everyone back to their original roles. Pete Crow-Armstrong can go back to the bottom of the order as he has gotten familiar with so far in his breakout season. Seiya Suzuki can go back to being primarily a DH rather than the team’s left fielder. Someone who may not be thrilled about going back to their original role is Moises Ballesteros. Ballesteros filled in as the DH while Happ was out and now that he is back, there isn’t room on the active roster for the 21-year-old catching prospect. In the corresponding move to activate Happ from the 10-day IL, the Chicago Cubs front office sent Ballesteros back to AAA Iowa.
Ballesteros got his first taste of MLB action when Happ was injured and while I’m sure that he isn’t excited about going back to AAA, he can take what he learned from his MLB at-bats and implement that into his approach with the Iowa Cubs so that when he gets the call to come back to the Chicago Cubs, he’s able to stick around for a while. The Venezuelan-born backstop appeared in just five games for the Cubs, notching three hits and two walks in 16 at-bats, and also driving in three runs.
Before Ballesteros returns to the big-league club, he needs to work on his fielding, conditioning and plate discipline, areas of concern that were on display in his first MLB tenure. He has plenty of time to work and progress, given that he is just 21 years of age and has already tasted major league action. If Ballesteros can improve in those areas, he can work towards becoming an integral member of the Chicago Cubs like Happ has become. His absence was certainly felt over the last ten days, and the team is hoping that his return is just the first of many for this injury-rattled ball club.
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