The Chicago Cubs may have had one of their September roster moves leak out a little early.
A report from The Bahamas Baseball Association says infield prospect BJ Murray has been called up by the Cubs, with the move reportedly set to happen before Monday night’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers. That timing would be a little unusual, since rosters expand this week, which makes it possible the report jumped the gun and Murray won’t officially arrive until Tuesday instead.
There’s also a procedural wrinkle here: Murray is not on the 40-man roster, so if he is indeed headed to Chicago as a September call-up, the Cubs will need to make a corresponding move. Unless there’s an injury the team hasn’t revealed, the likeliest setup is that Murray’s roster addition gets announced on Tuesday.
Beyond the timing, the move would say plenty about how the Cubs view Murray. He is currently eligible for the Rule 5 draft, so putting him on the 40-man roster would also shield him from that this offseason. That would suggest the Cubs may see a bigger role for him next year, especially with Michael Conforto, Ian Happ, Seiya Suzuki, and Tyrone Taylor all potential departures.
For the stretch run, Murray would also fill a need. The Cubs haven’t really had a clear backup first baseman, and his switch-hitting bat gives Craig Counsell another option to use late in games.
Murray’s path hasn’t been a straight line. He was once viewed as an ascending slugger in the system, but a rough 2024 sent him back to Double-A Knoxville.
He answered with a stronger year at Smokies before really taking off with Iowa this season. In 516 plate appearances for the Iowa Cubs, Murray is hitting .294/.395/.500 with 16 home runs and a 128 wRC+.
He’s also added some versatility along the way, seeing time at third base and in left field for Iowa.
If Murray is the first of two September call-ups for the Cubs this week, there may not be much more to it. But if he’s truly being added ahead of Monday’s game against the Brewers, that would be the detail worth watching.
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