Pete Crow-Armstrong has been getting some extra time at designated hitter lately, and that looks like more than a one-off adjustment for the Chicago Cubs. He was in the DH spot twice over the weekend against the Kansas City Royals, and now that the Cubs have finally reached a much-needed off day after playing 17 straight games, Craig Counsell said the move is tied to fatigue.
“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 sense for a roster that has been stretched thin. With Matt Shaw still on the IL and Kevin Alcantara and Justin Dean back with Triple-A Iowa, the Cubs didn’t have a natural center-field backup sitting on the big-league roster.
That’s where Tyrone Taylor becomes such an important piece. The deadline addition gives the Cubs a real option in center when Crow-Armstrong needs a breather, and unlike the situation with Dean, Counsell can feel good about giving Taylor steady at-bats.
Crow-Armstrong remains the best fielder in baseball, and when the games matter most, he’ll be in center. But with October in mind, the Cubs are clearly trying to balance rest and production, keeping his bat in the lineup while protecting him from wearing down too much.
The pitching side brought another notable development. When the Cubs revealed their starters for this week’s series against the Washington Nationals, Javier Assad’s name was missing from the rotation plan. Shota Imanaga is set to start Tuesday night, David Peterson on Wednesday, and Kevin Gausman on Thursday in what will be his second start with the Cubs.
That setup strongly suggests Assad’s turn has been skipped and that he’s been shifted to the bullpen. He can still provide length there, but it also raises the question of whether he’s getting closer to being optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
Assad has earned his place on a major-league roster, but the Cubs are also juggling the possible returns of Edward Cabrera, Hoby Milner, and Daniel Palencia, along with the potential September returns of Justin Steele, Ben Brown, Hunter Harvey, and Shelby Miller. With Assad still having minor-league options left, moving him down would give the Cubs more flexibility.
Elsewhere, Jameson Taillon has officially said goodbye to the Cubs. Over the weekend, he posted a thank you message to the organization and the fans on Instagram.
Taillon made his first start for the Toronto Blue Jays last week, allowing three runs on six hits across four innings. He also gave up a home run, which has been a familiar theme this season.
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For the Cubs, the bigger question is what all of this means for an outfield picture that already has plenty of competition on the way. The farm system is loaded with outfield talent, which is a good problem to have if the organization keeps developing bats, but it also means the path to regular playing time is not going to be simple. Conrads rise only adds another layer to that debate, and as he keeps hitting, the conversation about how Chicago fits all of these young outfield pieces together is only going to get louder. [Read more 🡒]