Pete Crow-Armstrong has started to look like a player the Cubs want to protect without ever really taking him out of the mix.
He served as the designated hitter twice over the weekend against the Kansas City Royals, and that could be the shape of things for a while. With the Cubs now through a grueling stretch of 17 straight games, Craig Counsell made it clear that Crow-Armstrong’s recent DH work is tied to simple wear and tear.
Counsell said, “Pete's dealing with what a lot of the players are dealing with. He's tired & I'm trying to recharge some batteries as best I can right now.”
That approach makes even more sense because the Cubs have had to work around some roster gaps. Matt Shaw is still on the IL, while Kevin Alcantara and Justin Dean are back with Triple-A Iowa, leaving the club without a natural backup center fielder.
That is part of why the Tyrone Taylor move at the deadline mattered so much. Taylor gives the Cubs a real center-field option when Crow-Armstrong needs a break, and unlike the situation with Dean, Counsell can also trust him to get regular at-bats.
None of that changes the bigger picture: Crow-Armstrong is still the best fielder in baseball, and in games that matter most, he’s going to be in center field. But with October in mind, the Cubs are clearly trying to strike the right balance - keeping his bat in the lineup while finding spots to give him some needed rest.
The pitching picture also shifted this week. The Cubs announced their starters for the series against the Washington Nationals, with Shota Imanaga set for Tuesday night, David Peterson on Wednesday, and Kevin Gausman on Thursday. That alignment points to Javier Assad being skipped in the rotation, which strongly suggests he’s been moved to the bullpen.
Assad can still help there by giving the relief group some length, but the move also opens the door to a tougher question: is he closer to being optioned to Triple-A Iowa? He’s certainly good enough to be on a big-league roster, but the Cubs also have to keep track of possible returns from Edward Cabrera, Hoby Milner, and Daniel Palencia.
Add in the chance that Justin Steele, Ben Brown, Hunter Harvey, and Shelby Miller could be back in September, and the pressure on the roster math only gets tighter. Sending Assad down would give the Cubs some much-needed flexibility.
As for Jameson Taillon, his time with the Cubs has come to a close. He posted a goodbye message on Instagram over the weekend, thanking the organization and the fans. Taillon made his first start for the Toronto Blue Jays last week and allowed three runs on six hits in four innings, with a home run mixed in - something that has become a familiar part of his season.
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