Utility company: Spare infielders forcing Cubs into tough roster decisions ahead of Japan trip
Cubs manager Craig Counsell talked about having to make tough roster decisions soon, and they are likely more difficult than originally anticipated.
Several players without guaranteed spots on the major-league rosters have excelled so far in spring training, particularly the infielders.
“You want them to just play well, make us make a tough decision,” Counsell told reporters in Arizona this week. “And if it doesn't work, you're always rooting for players to end up in a good place.”
Here's the reality: After adding utility infielder Jon Berti and veteran Justin Turner, there's really just one roster spot available among position players, though it will be two for the trip to Japan, since the Cubs already announced Nico Hoerner won't be going. The team hopes Hoerner can be ready for the March 27 domestic opener.
Two interesting cases in the infield are Vidal Brujan and Gage Workman, but Naperville native Nicky Lopez and minor-leaguer Ben Cowles are also among the offensive leaders.
The Cubs acquired Brujan from Miami in a trade for Matt Mervis. Once a top-100 prospect, Brujan has spent parts of four seasons in the majors, with the Marlins and Rays. He's also played in the outfield this spring.
Workman was a Rule 5 selection from Detroit. For anyone unfamiliar, that's an apparatus designed to give players who have spent a lengthy amount of time in the minors a chance to try their luck in a new organization.
As a Rule 5 pick, the Cubs have to keep Workman on the 26-man major-league roster or else he'll be subjected to waivers. And if he clears waivers, he must be offered back to his old team. Brujan is out of minor-league options, so whichever of these players doesn't stick could end up on a different team.
“I think both those guys have really, really played well,” Counsell said. “Brujan, maybe it's cliché, but he's coming home with a dirty uniform every single day. That means he's been on the bases, he's been stealing bases, scoring runs. He's played all over the field.”
Brujan is hitting .333 this spring with a team-high 4 stolen bases. Workman, who has yet to play above Double-A, is hitting .360 and is the only Cubs player with 2 home runs in exhibition season.
“Workman, he's probably in the toughest situation of anybody coming into camp,” Counsell said. “It's a brand-new organization, you know what the Rule 5 pick means. And I think he's handled it with a lot of maturity.
“A left-handed bat with some power, good plate discipline and a good defender. He's shown all three of those things, which is really hard to do in a small sample.”
Lopez, 29, is in a different situation as a six-year MLB veteran who signed a minor-league deal with the Cubs. He's been on fire this spring, going 9-for-18 at the plate with 4 walks.
The Cubs are probably hoping Lopez is willing to play at Triple-A Iowa and be available for a call-up if there's an injury. But he could also be snapped up by another major-league team. The Naperville Central grad played for the White Sox last season.
The Cubs got Cowles from the Yankees last year in the Mark Leiter Jr. trade. He hasn't yet played in Triple-A and is almost certainly a piece for the future, but he's hitting .435 this spring with a team-high 6 doubles.
Berti is the outlier in this group, hitting .250 but with 5 walks. Barring an injury, he's a virtual lock to make the final roster.
Another spring star is outfielder Greg Allen, a seven-year MLB veteran. He's hit .533 and leads the Cubs in slugging percentage. Like Lopez, he's here on a minor-league deal and could play in Iowa.
For the Japan trip, one likely scenario is Brujan and Workman take the two vacant slots, which would at least delay a decision on both. It's also conceivable the Cubs decide to let Matt Shaw spend more time in the minors since he missed a couple weeks of camp with an injury. Shaw has 2 hits in two games since he returned.