7:55am: Rogers now tweets that the Cubs will place John Lackey on the 10-day DL due to plantar faciitis, though it’s possible that due to the off-time afforded by the All-Star break, Lackey won’t even miss a start. Lackey started yesterday’s game for the Cubs and wasn’t in line to make another appearance in the first half anyhow.
7:36am: The Cubs will recall Kyle Schwarber from Triple-A Iowa today after a brief demotion to the minors, reports ESPN Chicago’s Jesse Rogers. He’s expected to be available for today’s game against Milwaukee.
The 24-year-old Schwarber got off to a dreadful start in 2017, hitting just .171/.295/.378 through his first 261 plate appearances. While Schwarber did belt 12 homers in that time, he also struck out in nearly 29 percent of his plate appearances and hit 10 infield flies to go along with a lowly 12.3 percent line-drive rate.
Schwarber’s demotion was never expected to be especially lengthy in nature, however, and he’s clobbered Triple-A pitching in 11 games following the quick mental respite. In 44 plate appearances, the former No. 4 overall draft pick hit .343/.477/.714 with four homers and a double. He did strike out 12 times (27 percent), but he also drew eight walks.
Jon Jay has seen the bulk of the playing time in left field since Schwarber was sent down and has hit well (.268/.318/.463 in 44 PAs), but Schwarber figures to reclaim the majority of playing time in left upon his return. The corresponding move for Schwarber’s return isn’t yet known, but there are no obvious demotion candidates on the position-player side of the equation, and the Cubs are currently deploying an eight-man bullpen.
I don’t think it is any surprise that he destroyed AAA pitching. Now he has to do it and continue to do it at the MLB level or he might just be a very overhyped AAAA player.
Not a surprise? Didn’t get the memo from all of the commenters here? He’s a platoon dh and belongs in the AL.
Well this is just ridiculous.
No, it’s just irony.
A player out of position in the NL. Hey Cubs the Yanks will trade Warren back to you for him!
Theo may contact his former club, and strike a deal to send him to Boston to be their DH for the next 10-15 years (replacing Big Papi). Moreland is gone after ’17, Travis is slated to handle 1B, and Schwarber could DH/1B/OF as a fill in.
Kyle Schwarber doesn’t figure to be the centerpiece of any trade unless it involves a younger, quality and controllable starting pitcher. Who exactly might that be on the Red Sox? Even if Boston had one, they certainly couldn’t afford dealing him with the current state of their rotation and likely not for a DH/LF.
The Cub front office has already gone on record saying they likely won’t be dealing any player from their MLB active roster for pitching help as the non-waiver deadline approaches. Of course, it could be a smokescreen and perhaps Schwarber was promoted more quickly than expected in order to be showcased by July 31st. We’ll know soon enough with just 3-1/2 weeks remaining before the deadline.
Btw-I don’t believe Ian Happ is the Cubs long term answer in CF. Albert Almora should be that guy. Happ is lacking even more defensively at 2B. I believe either he or Schwarber will ultimately become the Cubs primary core LF. The odd man out figures to be their best trade bait for that quality SP, along with another prospect or two.
Brian Johnson/Henry Owens
Brian Johnson/Henry Owens are not Sonny Gray/Jose Quintana.
No one said they were, just answering his first question, young controllable pieces.
That would be my statement, “a younger, quality and controllable starting pitcher.”…and it wasn’t a question.
I mean in his defense, who might that be does have a question mark. Rhetorical questions hard to read on the web.
The red Sox have no one worth trading for to acquire Schwarber. He has to bring back what the cubs gave up for Matt Garza. 4 or 5 for 1 is the only way the cubs trade Schwarber. He does just fine in left. Fld % doesn’t mean much but for a “out of place” player he only has 4 errors in left since 2015.
Did you watch today’s game?
Seriously?
Matt Garza was a 27-year old quality and controllable starting pitcher when the Cubs acquired him from the Rays during the 2011 offseason for 5 young players/prospects that included Chris Archer.
The Cubs are currently in the market for a similar type starting pitcher to Garza, like Sonny Gray or Jose Quintana. If Schwarber is traded any time soon, it will likely be as a centerpiece to such a deal. If anything, it would be a 2 or 3 for one package going back to the other team.
I like the idea but I think you’re under rating he value of Schwarber
He has always been an overhyped player.
Well, when you’re the best bat in an organization you tend to get a lot of attention. He’s barely got a full year of MLB experience. Be patient.
What does Kris Bryant have to do with this?
*Emotionally motivated response*
Whatever will help you sleep at night, sweetheart.
Absolutely nothing. Schwarber is the best pure hitter (bat) in the organization. KB is the superior player. The two can be separate from one another.
And you’re basing this on what, exactly?
Keep in mind that Kris Bryant is already one of the best overall hitters (bat) in all of baseball…
True heard of the sophomore kenja
Jenks
You mean the sophomore year he won the MVP in?
On top of that his first ML hit was a triple at of all places Jacobs field(I know they changed the name but Jacobs field just has a better sound to it.
Perhaps some of it was warranted. As an advanced bat coming out college, Schwarber produced prodigious minor league numbers that matched or bested those of Kris Bryant. Schwarber achieved this while the Cubs also had him playing a good amount of time at catcher to ascertain whether he might be a proficient enough backstop at the MLB level. Of course, his brutal regular season ending knee injury to begin the 2016 season put a halt to that notion once and for all.
Btw-Schwarber’s numbers in the minors are even more prolific when compared to Ian Happ’s. Schwarber’s defensive acumen is another matter, not that Happ is Gold Glove material either.
Hitting is 90% between the Ears please don’t bat him leadoff nor trade him. Still great if in the middle like 5/6 in the order.
There’s really not much doubt that he’s an “all-or-nothing” type hitter. He’ll probably never hit above .260 in the Bigs, but should provide plenty of pop.
I just can’t see him staying in the NL very long, as his defense is certainly suspect (although it has been adequate so far).
He doesn’t belong in the leadoff spot, but would be an excellent #2 hitter….imho.
Schwarber would profile to be an excellent #5 hitter with the current group of Cubs and probably a prototypical cleanup hitter with many other clubs, particularly as a LF/DH in the American League. Of course, Joe Maddon has virtually every Cub hitter other than Anthony Rizzo in their less than ideal lineup spot. He even had Rizzo batting leadoff for a short time before moving him back to his proper role as the Cubs #3 hitter.
Btw-Maddon also suggested he may put Schwarber back into the leadoff role at some point. This man is as stubborn as they come and just can’t admit to ever making a mistake. Cub fans know this all too well dating back to his managing in game 7 of the World Series. Instead of just moving on he kept defending his strategy the entire offseason whenever the subject was broached.
Joe Maddon is the best manager in the game. Be grateful y’all have him. Do you really think the lineup order is what is screwing the Cubbies?? News flash, it’s because nobody is producing anything close to what they did last year.
There’s plenty of Cubs AND Rays fans who would disagree with your lofty assessment of Joe Maddon. He has been among the better managers in MLB but his performance during the 2017 postseason and thus far in 2017 has taken a lot of luster off of his glowing reputation among baseball fandom in general.
Best Manager in Baseball? What about Bochy?
The starting lineups have been posted for this afternoon’s game versus the Brewers at Wrigley Field and Kyle Schwarber is hitting 5th where he should have been versus right-handed starting pitching from the get-go in 2017.
Perhaps there’s still hope for Maddon to produce a more sensible and steadier lineup this season. He also has Jon Jay back in the leadoff role where he also should have been versus RHP to begin the year. Now if Maddon would only flip-flop his #2 hitter Kris Bryant and primary cleanup man Ben Zobrist in the batting order his lineup would resemble the one I have been arguing for since the beginning of spring training.
You’re gunning for a mid 90s style lineup, gotcha.
As a 61-year old fan of MLB, the Cubs and White Sox I’m “gunning” for lineups that have been standard MLB issue since at least the early 1960’s. As much as I appreciate sabermetrics as a tool I’m tired of Maddon and some of his contemporaries trying to construct a batting order as if they were playing fantasy baseball.
Like Maddon, I also had my differences with former White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. At least Guillen new how to assemble a proper lineup, one that was good enough to win a championship in 2005.
Maddon had a more sensible batting order last season, at least to conclude the year. His anointment of Jason Heyward to bat #2 to begin the 2016 season was a head scratcher, especially when he had a prototypical 2nd hitter in long time associate Ben Zobrist who also came to the Cubs as a FA that offseason. Zobrist was always an excellent #2 hitter and was even more exceptional in the role when the Royals employed him there shortly after acquiring him from the A’s just ahead of the 2015 summer trade deadline. Zobrist was even better in that role when he started all 16 of their postseason games hitting second during the Royals run to a World Series title. Had Maddon properly installed Zobrist as his #2 hitter in 2016, Kris Bryant would have likely become their regular cleanup hitter since he began 2016 hitting 5th. Bryant should still be the Cubs cleanup hitter following Anthony Rizzo who is properly slotted at #3.
Maddon’s lineups this season have been, well, out of LF. As I said once before, the proof is in the pudding and the production he’s received from his multitude of batting orders this season have been spotted d!ck.
There is nothing wrong with how Maddon managed game 7. Maybe you think he took Hendricks out too soon and that is your opinion. Maddon is one of the best managers in Cubs history. Period. We are lucky to have him because without Joe Maddon there is no pennant and no world series
BS. Any number of managers could have taken the golden roster that Theo & Company assembled and won a World Series in 2016…and with less drama.
As a Cub fan I wished they had kept Rick Renteria who was shamelessly dismissed in favor of Maddon. and is among those managers who could have won a championship last year AND had the team in a better spot in 2017. As a White Sox fan I’m grateful for the Cubs letting Renteria go and looking forward to him managing another White Sox championship team in the not too distant future.
I think that ‘the proof is in the pudding’ with Maddon’s prior success foreshadowing a deep post season run last year. There was zero indication that Renteria would have gotten them to the playoffs let alone to the WS. As has been overly discussed in other more relevant threads, Maddon made debatable choices in the WS, but this whole ‘won in spite of him, not because of him’ thing is completely wrong.
It all comes down to the age old baseball question of how many wins is a manager worth? The Cubs won their division by 17.5 games in 2016. It’s pretty safe to assume that no fan would claim any manager to be worth anything approaching that figure.
One of the worst things he did was take out Hendricks way too early. He was cruising along just fine. He did what he said he wouldn’t do. Bring Lester into a middle of an inning.
Not to mention his handling of a worn out Aroldis Chapman in games #6 and #7. Was it really necessary for Maddon to bring in his flame throwing closer in the 6th inning of game #6 with a 5-run lead and let him pitch through the 7th knowing the Cubs would still need to win the next night in Cleveland?
Make that the 7th inning and pitch through the 8th…
Sorry. Have to disagree. Frustrated fans are just trying to use Maddon as a scapegoat for a largely inexperienced (young) roster that is simply in a growing pains phase, and a pitching staff that needs a TON of new arms. Nothing he can do about that.
I think it’s hilarious to see all these comments about how he’s a “platoon dh”. The guy missed an entire season, he’s going to be rusty. Granted Cleveland threw everything for him to mash, this had to be expected.
That’s the world we live in now. Young prospects are expected to be studs the second they’re called up. Maddon just needs to find somewhere in the lineup and field where he’s comfortable and keep him there. Hitting lead off can be a b*tch for some players
I totally respect what he did in the WS. That being said he is painful to see in the OF and isn’t an answer at catcher. So where does that leave a position for him?
He’ll never be a gold glover in the outfield but if you give him time he could become an average fielder maybe. But I don’t see him staying with the Cubs long term because of his flaws you mentioned
Painful to see in the outfield based on a few plays you happened to see on sportscenter in the 2015 NLCS?
Kayrall WELL SAID!
NO I JUST WATCHED HIS ERROR (something you never see)AND SLOW OF FOOT TROT ON A DOUBLE TODAY!
No based on multiple horrendous reads,throws,and so on..lol
He’s yet to misplay play a ball since then. Even made a fantastic catch vs the Jankees in the 18inning affair in May. Then even more impressive catch against the ivy and brick wall a few.weeks later.
I’m a Yankee fan and that was a ok catch he made look harder then it should of been..to slow for the outfield with a fringe arm
The point is you expect a guy like Baez or Russell to make a play like he did. And they have made spoke excellent plays. Baez has two of the top 10 plays of the first half in the same game. But a big dude like Schwarber who at the time was only 14 months from serious knee surgery. And he made a fantastic play. That play was also top 10 for the first half.
It waa kinda dumb for plays of the year last year that Rajai Davis homer in game 7 was #1 when in the end it was irrelevant. Almora Jr. Tagging up was better than that play.
He has been VERY solid in the field this year. We’ll above average.
-4 DRS in 58 games isn’t exactly solid. Admittedly, his other defensive metrics aren’t completely horrible, so it’s probably best to reserve judgement until we see a larger sample.
Still, this can’t be encouraging, but if he ends up hitting, then it will matter a lot less.
DH if they trade him.
What is painful to see about Schwarber in the OF?
@Cubsfan2489
So much this. He rakes in multiple settings/stints, falters in one, and is immediately denigrated.
No different than Cubs fans saying he’s Babe effin Ruth and overhyping the crap out of him since the day he was drafted. If it wasn’t for Cubs fans constantly talking about how great he is (even during this year where he was “expected” to struggle), people wouldn’t bash him anywhere near as much.
So you’re saying that your comments are based strictly on emotion? Fair enough, I’ll keep that in mind when I see your tag come up.
Yup. You got it exactly right. Good job.
Dude hates on every Cubs post
He does belong in NL, and as a Yankee fan I would love him as a long term solution at DH but I also would hate to clog up the DH spot with one player when we can platoon players to give them rest. I also see him as a Red Sawk long term and I would hate to see that but I get the feeling that’s gonna be the best fit for him and his team in the near future somehow. Unless he could play first base for the Yanks and Bird just isn’t going to get past his injury history that could work also.
Theo loves him and would want a fortune from the Red Sawks and a small fortune from the Yanks I’m sure! Saying that the Cubs should just keep him because as a Yankee fan I would never be willing to trade the farm for one player especially during a semi rebuild and the player really has no position and has struggled offensively!
Schwaber Ian Happ, And the Cubs #1 prospect his name starts with a J I think to the Sox for Q and a couple of our good relievers
Cubs will just throw money at darvish cueto Cobb no need to trade for Quintana . Candelario almora dela Cruz for Quintana
No chance the Cubs do that awful trade. Dream on!
Theo loves Schwarber. Baez, Almora, Schwarbs, Bryant, Rizzo, Russell and Happ are all long term keepers. None of them are going anywhere unless they refuse to sign.
Don’ t forget Contreras.
If Theo is using “love” to make decisions, them the Cubs are screwed. Objectivity and a lack of sentimentality are required in his job. At least two of those players should be in play for pitching at some point in the coming years, while the Cubs’ core is intact. Schwarber and Baez are the two I have in mind. Trade them before there’s a final verdict on how high their potential actually is. My bias, obviously, is that they are both over-hyped.
The baseball season starts today!
Most important where did he finish in the Nathan’s 4th of July hotdog eating contest.
youtube.com/watch?v=w-hpRGXclIo
Classic!
Schwarber will never be an elite hitter, he’ll hit his homers and strike out a ton that’s basically it
Great assessment, Stephen A. Smith.
Oh and he’ll have plenty of throwing errors just like in the 3rd inning of today’s game
What about his great obp numbers he put up in the minors?
So, you are saying he is another Dave Kingman? He made a long career out of the same talents……
He didn’t say he wouldn’t have a long career. Or that it wouldn’t even be a good long career. He just said he would never be an elite hitter.
Clever move by the Cubs, get an extra player up and Lackey won’t even miss a start. Using the All-star break to perfection, kind of like what the Dodgers have been doing all year.
Teams have been taking advantage of the 10 day DL
Fandom aside, Schwarber has to earn the right to play. How many everyday outfielders do you know of hitting .171? His power potential is obvious, but if he doesn’t cut down on the strikeouts, he won’t be in a Cubs unit very long.
I would start with that batting stance of his. It works for Rizzo, but all that moving around has screwed up his timing and left him vulnerable on pitches down the middle and away at the plate. He had quite hands and no wasted movement prior to this season. He needs to get that back.
Wonder if Lackey has is the same type of plantar faciitis that Joe Maddon claimed Jung ho Kang had when Chris Coghlan took him out? Lackey might be done for his career if that is the case.
Lackey will not even miss one starr
I love how this got 70+ comments
You all need to be more patient with the former star prospect
This cub domination crap didn’t even last a year. Stick a fork in them. They’re done!