Cubs put Heyward on IL, call on Crook
Another major league debut is imminent for the Cubs. Before Thursday's game against the Reds, they called up outfielder Narciso Crook from Iowa, while Jason Heyward went on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation.
This has been a long journey for Crook, who was drafted by the Reds in the 23rd round in 2013. After eight years in Cincinnati's farm system, he signed with the Cubs last winter.
He got off to a slow start in Iowa, batting .135 in April and .222 in May. Then something must have clicked, because he hit .345 with 7 home runs in June.
"Our minor league group identified within his swing and made some adjustments," manager David Ross said. "I think he reported to Arizona right around Thanksgiving and worked really hard on some changes they identified and I know he struggled the first month or so of the season but has been nothing but on fire since then.
"Great guy. (Third base coach) Willie (Harris) knows him from Cincinnati. Apparently a lot of good feels throughout the organization when he got the call last night. Apparently he was pretty pumped up and emotional, so you love to hear those stories."
Crooks was born in the Dominican Republic, then moved to Trenton, N.J. when he was 11 and went on to play at Rowan College. In Des Moines, he was known for telling young autograph seekers to do a good deed for someone else in the next two weeks.
To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, Michael Hermosillo (left quad strain) moved to the 60-day injured list.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports