Chicago Cubs' Russell out another three weeks
The uncertain status of shortstop Addison Russell is causing a ripple effect with the Chicago Cubs, going so far as to affect their September call-ups.
Russell had an MRI on Thursday after being scratched from an injury-rehab start for Class AAA Iowa on Wednesday night. The procedure revealed he aggravated the plantar fasciitis in his right foot. The upshot is he will be out another three weeks. He has been on the 10-day disabled list since Aug. 3.
The Cubs have been using Javier Baez as their primary shortstop, and he has dazzled defensively. But the Cubs do need to have some backup if Russell is out for much longer. They also want to get Baez some rest now and then.
To that end, expect them to select the contract of infielder Mike Freeman from Iowa and have him at Wrigley Field by Friday, when rosters may expand from 25. Freeman, 30, played in 16 games this season with Seattle and four for the Dodgers, going 2-for-35.
In three Triple-A stops, including Iowa, he has a line of .306/.380/.403 with 3 home runs and 31 RBI.
The Cubs did make a trade at the waiver deadline Thursday night, acquiring outfielder Leonys Martin from the Seattle organization along with cash for a player to be named later or cash. Martin is not yet on the 40-man roster.
Cubs manager Joe Maddon was playing wait-and-see on Russell, but he has no plans to rush him back.
"My thought was we're waiting to see what's up with Addy, first of all," Maddon said. "My thought was not to just bring Addy back and just say go because I don't want him to get hurt again.
"So I thought there was a chance to get them both (Russell and Baez) in and out. Also, it's very attractive to have Javy at second base with the typical Addison at shortstop. Your defense looks really, really good at that point.
"It's one of those things I just want it to play out on its own and try to make up my mind as we go along."
Call-ups are coming:
Look for the Cubs to make several call-ups today. In addition to Mike Freeman, they're likely to bring back catcher Victor Caratini from Iowa. They're also likely to activate reliever Justin Grimm from the DL. Grimm has been rehabbing at Iowa.
Pitcher Dillon Maples, a 14th-round draft pick in 2011, also is slated to get the call. It will be his first big-league moment. Maples is 1-2 with 4 saves and a 1.96 ERA at Iowa.
Neither Freeman nor Maples is on the 40-man roster, so the Cubs will have to make room.
They're getting some runs:
The Cubs entered Thursday night's game against the Braves having scored 15 or more runs four times in August. That's the first time the Cubs had done that in a calendar month since June 1930.
Also entering Thursday, the Cubs had outscored their opponents by 90 runs since the all-star break, scoring 270 while allowing 180. The Cubs' run differential was zero at the break.