Cubs rumors: Marcus Stroman’s future, Bellinger injury, and more
By Josh Wilson
The Cubs are in the midst of a tailspin, but there is still some good news to be had in the rumor mill.
The Chicago Cubs aren’t last in the NL Central, that lovely honor goes to the St. Louis Cardinals. But with the Cardinals 8-2 in their last 10 and the Cubs 2-8, Chicago may not be able to defend that position much longer.
They got off to a solid start in 2023 but have since stumbled down the order in the tightly-contested division. Hope is not lost, but there’s a clear need to get back on track.
Despite the slump, the recent news and rumors around the team provide some semblance of positivity. Here’s everything to know. Today we’ll look at Matt Mervis’s first home run ball, Stroman extension talk, and Bellinger’s injury.
Cubs rumors: Matt Mervis gets his first home run ball back
Matt Mervis hit his first career home run this week. It bounced off the foul pole which provided some hope he would get to keep it, but after it landed back in the field it was thrown into the stands.
Huge fumble there.
Thankfully, according to Meghan Montemurro, first base coach Mike Napoli got the ball back from the fans.
Matt Mervis got baseball back from 1st MLB HR & plans to give it to his mom.
— Meghan Montemurro (@M_Montemurro) May 17, 2023
Ball was thrown into stands after it hit off RF pole but 1B coach Mike Napoli got them to throw it back.
On his 1st HR: "You try not to think about it, but that's also part of the reason why I'm here."
As for what Mervis is doing with the ball, Montemurro reported his mom is getting it, fitting just a few days after mother’s day.