The Cubs on Friday placed catcher P.J. Higgins on the 10-day injured list due to a forearm strain and selected the contract of backstop Jose Lobaton in his place. In order to clear roster space for the well-traveled Lobaton, Chicago designated right-hander Dakota Chalmers for assignment.
Chalmers’ stay with the Cubs organization could prove exceptionally brief. The righty was claimed off waivers from the Twins just six days ago and has yet to even pitch in a game with the Cubs’ top affiliate in Iowa.
The 24-year-old Chalmers was a third-round pick of the A’s back in 2015 and made his way to the Twins organization via a 2018 trade that sent Fernando Rodney from Minnesota to Oakland. He’s drawn praise in the past for a strong three-pitch mix (fastball, curveball, changeup) but consistently struggled to throw strikes. Chalmers, who also had Tommy John surgery in 2018, has walked or hit 19 percent of the batters he’s faced during his professional career. The Cubs will have a week to trade him or place him back on outright waivers.
Lobaton, 36, will be returning to the Majors for his first appearance since 2018. He was batting just .179 in Triple-A at the time of his promotion, albeit with much heartier marks in on-base percentage (.347) and slugging percentage (.410). The switch-hitting Lobaton has played in 413 games at the MLB level and is a career .215/.293/.319 batter in 1278 plate appearances. He’ll give the Cubs an experienced backup to Willson Contreras with both Higgins and the veteran Austin Romine on the injured list.
I miss Caratini as the Cubs backup catcher.
I think we should have nominations for the MLBTR Dumpster Dive of the Year. My first choice is Patrick Wisdom. Matt Duffy is a close second. Rex Brothers and Sergio Alcantara have played well, too.
All Cubs you chose, but seems like a good idea. I feel like Wisdom and Sergio haven’t had enough AB’s yet but they’re looking like nice pick ups. Josh Harrison of my Nats has done decent, don’t know if he’s considered dumpster diving tho
I’m thinking waiver wire pickups or minor league contracts since last offseason that are selected like Lobaton.
Cubs can’t blame Chalmers anymore
Who was blaming Chalmers for anything?
Joc, pretty amazing how most of those dumpster diving comments and trolls magically disappeared with the invention of the mute button, huh?
(and most of them just realized that their full time occupation of trolling was going away so I haven’t even had to mute a good healthy list of them…they are just gone)
Jonathan Villar and Kevin Piklar.
Mike 127- Why so sensitive? We dish it out. You can give it right back. Nothing personal. Come back Mike127, come back.
Can you mute someone then change your mind and unmute them.
Serious. I never muted no one.
Just curious
Wisdom has sent Happ (deservingly) to the bench. He’s also got KB platooned to the outfield. Please no KB in CF. He sucks out there…even Heyward would be a better choice… someone’s gonna get injured out there…
Why not more Marisnick in CF?
@dynasty—-Wisdom had absolutely nothing to do with “…KB platooned to the outfield.” And way to go out a limb that “even Heyward”, a five time gold glover would “be a better choice” than KB in CF. That’s just a poor attempt to find something that Bryant isn’t a superstar at. I’m pretty sure there are multiples of better center fielders than Kris Bryant but he’s not platooned because of Wisdom and he quite doesn’t suck.
Mike127 buddy… I wrote “even” Heyward because those who have followed the Cubs lately know that Heyward can’t stand CF…
I like Wisdom on the field at third base so far. That puts KB in the outfield. He’s just not a strong there… sorry…and yes he is flat out terrible tracking deep flyballs in CF.. he shows real problems with the warning track..and by the way…Ross is platooning KB all over the outfield. It’s the very definition of platooning. Otherwise he’d be at third base…the real odd man out is Happ.. that’s really who Wisdom replaces for now…again by the way, Happ is also a conversion to the outfield…he is slow afoot for CF…so our Cubs never really had a true centerfielder to start the season.. KB ain’t it, Pederson ain’t and neither is Happ.
Dynasty—first, I totally agree with you that the Cubs don’t have, by baseball definition, a true “center fielder” 100% with you on that. My disagreement is that you said Patrick Wisdom got KB platooned to the outfield. The word you are looking for to describe KB, and I am sure there are 30 baseball front offices that will agree, is versatile, not platoon.
I am totally loving the Patrick Wisdom ride but think there is enough baseball history to calm the enthusiasm of an almost 30 year old with less than 75 at bats coming into a season being a savior. This stretch will normalize quickly (see Mercedes of the White Sox).
There os NO connection between KB going to the outfield and Wisdom. Bryant went to the outfield on like April 15….Wisdom came up on May 25,
I, for one, think Ross is doing a pretty darn good job but not in my wildest dreams do I think Ross said to KB, “hey, I’m gonna put you in the outfield I think Wisdom is going to be ready around Memorial Day and he’s playing third.”
Let’s enjoy the Wisdom ride for as long as it lasts and accept it when he has that inevitable stretch of 2-27 with 12 strikeouts……that’s how baseball works. (and how Wisdom will become a real platoon player)
Mike 127 – I gave you a thumbs up for content. Of course the timing of the KB and Wisdom placements is a bit off. Yet the Wisdom heat allowed the Cubs to fill that weak hitting outfield with KB strictly for offense. I use the term platooning because that is what the Cubs have been doing with players since at least Uncle Dale Sveum days.
Just about every MLB player is versatile. Heck even Contreras has played in left….and Rizzo has a zero ERA…
Wisdom by far.
The Ghost of Caratini looms. Our Cubs never should have done it. Damn it.
Caratini hitting .225 lol. Sadly that would still be an upgrade over the Cubs backup. I think if Romine had been healthy, he would have put up similar numbers to what Caratini has done.
We know Rizzo can pitch. Can he catch too?
Don’t think Rizzo can find a lefty catchers mitt anywhere. Lol. Bryant was sent to the outfield as they had no outfielders that could hit. Do you want to start three almost automatic outs in the outfield. Basically Happ and Heyward have really sucked and Pederson got off to a slow start. Jake was supposed to be the fourth outfielder. He also was on the dl. The two depth outfielders they brought up can’t hit either. The Cubs have had enough bench players to cover third. Sogard, Bote ( now on dl) and now Wisdom. Wisdom was a first round choice. Take one look at him if you don’t know why. It appears he’s really bulked up in the minors. Anyone knocking Bryant’s outfield play doesn’t know baseball. He’s decent and playing himself into a payday. Let’s see if Boras screws him like he did to Arrieta. The hope must be that Lobaton will find a way to get on base. I doubt Higgins will be back. It was a mistake to include Caratini in the Darvish trade. However I’m glad as the temptation would be to have him at first and also DH in inter league.
RJ – Good assessment… I think you are correct. KB was platooned to the outfield, not for his defense but for his bat.