Cubs put Coghlan on DL, recall Candelario from Triple-A

NEW YORK (AP) - The Chicago Cubs put outfielder Chris Coghlan on the 15-day disabled list Sunday with a right ribcage strain and recalled infielder Jeimer Candelario from Triple-A Iowa.

Candelario started at third base in his major league debut. He struck out his first two times up, then singled in the seventh inning off New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard for his first career hit.

The 22-year-old switch-hitter was batting .333 with three homers and 15 RBIs in 25 games at Iowa after getting promoted from Double-A Tennessee this season. He had a .452 on-base percentage, a .600 slugging percentage and was selected to participate in the Futures Game for top minor league prospects during All-Star festivities next week in San Diego.

"Has pop from both sides. A really nice approach at the plate," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "He's a young kid with a great body and a big upside."

Chicago chose to bring up Candelario rather than activate infielder Tommy La Stella from the disabled list. La Stella, sidelined since June 8 with a strained right hamstring, is on a rehab assignment with Iowa and was scheduled to stay there through the weekend. Even with Coghlan's injury, the team did not want to alter that plan and rush La Stella back.

"We just felt that we wanted to stay with Tommy's rehab assignment. Wasn't quite there yet," Maddon said. "It's sore a little bit postgame, that kind of thing, so you don't want to push him too hard. So we're just trying to stay with the game plan that we had set up originally."

Maddon said Candelario caught an early-morning flight to New York from Austin, Texas.

Coghlan left Saturday night's game after three innings because of soreness in his ribcage. He said he had been feeling some tightness in the area and tried to protect it, but aggravated the issue when he checked a swing his first time up, and it only got tighter as the game went on.

Coghlan isn't sure how long he'll be out. He said he thinks he will have an MRI on Tuesday, after the team returns home to Chicago.

"I wish I had a little more experience in what I'm dealing with right now," he said.

Reacquired from Oakland on June 9, Coghlan is hitting a combined .155 with five homers and 14 RBIs in 70 games with the Cubs and Athletics this season.