The Chicago Cubs have promoted catching prospect Moisés Ballesteros for his MLB debut. Ballesteros is hitting seventh as the DH in Tuesday’s game against the Miami Marlins. In a corresponding move, the Cubs have placed outfielder Ian Happ on the injured list on account of an oblique injury that has sidelined him since May 9.
Ballesteros, 21, was recently covered by CBS Sports in our Prospect Watch feature. Here’s what we wrote:
When I ranked Ballesteros as the second best prospect in the Cubs system over the winter, I praised his polished offensive game but warned of the questions surrounding his catching future. Ballesteros’ ultimate defensive home is still to be determined — Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly have contributed plenty to Chicago’s hot start — but his best position is clearly going to be at the dish. He’s batted .402/.459/.619 with 12 extra-base hits and nearly as many walks as strikeouts through his first 24 games. All the while, he’s stung more than 46% of his batted balls for a 95 mph exit velocity or better. I’m not sure how exactly the Cubs will fold Ballesteros into the lineup over the coming months; I just know that he’s already pressing the issue.
Happ, 30, had hit .269/.364/.381 (113 OPS+) with three home runs and 19 runs batted in over 39 games. His contributions had been worth a full Win Above Replacement, according to Baseball Reference’s calculations.
It remains to be seen how the Cubs intend to deploy Ballesteros, but it’s probably fair to think that he’ll see most of his action in the DH role. During Happ’s absence, the Cubs have turned to starting Seiya Suzuki, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Kyle Tucker in the outfield, with Justin Turner at DH. Turner, for his part, hasn’t performed well to date, batting just .155/.271/.155 entering Tuesday.
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