Chicago Cubs rumors: 3 players who won’t be on the roster by June 1
By Mark Powell
The Chicago Cubs are sure to undergo some surprising roster changes by June 1, even though it’s just a few weeks away.
Sitting four games under .500 in a crowded NL Central division, the Chicago Cubs need to make some changes. Despite a hot start to the season after acquiring shortstop Dansby Swanson in free agency, a downturn of late has Chicago wondering just how far they are from competing in the National League.
Sure, signing Swanson to a $177 million contract was a nice start, but the Cubs still have some roster holes in the pitching department, as well as the infield. Chicago’s slumbering has been a topic of much discussion within the Cubs organization, and something needs to be done to wake this group up if they are to contend this season.
With that in mind, here are some minor changes that could help send a message:
Cubs rumors: Option Miles Mastrobuoni back to the minors
When Miles Mastrobuoni made the big-league roster out of spring training, he was a tremendous story. Unfortunately, he hasn’t hit like he belongs in Chicago just yet.
The Cubs acquired Mastrobuoni in a trade last season with the Tampa Bay Rays. Typically, if the Rays are willing to give up on a player, there isn’t much there. Tampa has one of the better player development staffs in the major leagues.
At the time of the trade, per MLB, Mastrobuoni “owned a .286 average (633-for-2,211) with 108 doubles, 23 triples, 29 home runs, 242 RBI, 82 stolen bases, 288 walks and a .367 on-base percentage in 615 games. He had seen time at second base (247 games), left field (110 games), right field (94 games), shortstop (81 games), center field (42 games), third base (38 games) and pitcher (three games)” at the minor-league level. Those statistics haven’t translated to the majors.
While Mastrobuoni is a great story, he was just recalled from the minors after being sent down a few weeks back. The back-and-forth nature of his call-up suggests Chicago is lacking depth, and therefore went to a familiar face who was, again, hitting well at the MiLB level.
Yet, so far this season he’s notched just 28 at-bats, and the slash line isn’t pretty. .192/.192/.231 certainly isn’t good enough to earn an everyday major-league slot.