Cubs call up Arismendy Alcantara to temporarily replace Darwin Barney
By Dan Zinski
It’s not going to be a very long look, but Cubs fans will finally get a gander at one of the big-time prospects they’ve been salivating over during the long months of Theo Epstein’s great rebuild. Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports that the Cubs are elevating infielder Arismendy Alcantara as a temporary replacement for Darwin Barney, who is going on paternity leave.
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Alcantara was told the good news after Tuesday’s game between Iowa and Omaha. He said via ESPNChicago:
"It’s exciting to be in the big leagues, to get called up.It’s one of my dreams. Just going to keep focused and do my job."
The 22-year-old Alcantara is hitting .307 with 10 home runs, 11 triples and 25 doubles in triple-A this year. He along with Kris Bryant, Javier Baez and newly-acquired Addison Russell are considered the key pieces of the Cubs’ rebuilding effort.
Unfortunately for Cubs fans eager to get that future underway sooner rather than later, Alcantara’s visit is expected to only last until Darwin Barney is ready to return in a couple of days.
Of course, with all the trade rumors swirling around Barney, there’s always a chance Alcantara could end up getting an unexpected extension of his stay in the majors. It could go from 2 days to, like, 10 years.
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