Mundelein native Borucki returns to majors with Pirates
Mundelein native Ryan Borucki is back in the major leagues after getting called up by the Pirates on Sunday. He came in to pitch in the seventh inning against the Cubs on Monday.
The right-handed pitcher was last in the majors with the Cubs, but never took the mound for his hometown team. After signing a minor-league deal with the Cubs before the season, Borucki was called up on April 30. Two days later, Yan Gomes experienced concussion symptoms in Washington.
The Cubs weren't sure if Gomes would have to go on the injured list, but did need a backup catcher. So Borucki was released so they could call up Miguel Amaya, then signed with the Pirates about a week later and reported to Triple A Indianapolis. This makes six major league seasons for Borucki, mostly with Toronto.
The Pirates called up one of their top prospects, Henry Davis, to make his major league debut Monday against the Cubs. Davis, the No. 1 overall pick in 2021, was drafted as a catcher, but started in right field. He doubled in his first MLB at-bat.
Another Pirates top prospect, Cary-Grove High School grad Quinn Priester, is still working in Triple A. The right-hander faced the Iowa Cubs twice last week in Des Moines, picking up a win on Tuesday, then giving up 6 runs in 5 innings on Sunday.
Tauchman remembers Iowa:
Mike Tauchman has become a valuable regular for the Cubs in center field. On Sunday, he was asked about the six weeks he spent with the Triple A Iowa Cubs at the start of the season.
"I was enjoying myself," said Tauchman, who was called up on May 19. "It's a really good group down in Iowa and there's a lot of young talent.
"I found out pretty quickly I was one of the older guys there, so getting to talk to some young guys and discuss some nuance things with them that older players shared with me when I was coming up. I actually enjoyed that role and the coaching staff down there is phenomenal too."
Tauchman has spent parts of six seasons in MLB, with the Rockies, Yankees, Giants and Cubs. The only time he spent a full season in the majors was 2020 with the Yankees, when MLB played 60 games and there was no minor league season. The Palatine native played in Korea in 2022.
Pair of Sheltons:
A story posted on mlb.com, authored by Sweeny Murti, explored the connections between two former minor-league baseball players named Ron Shelton.
One was the longtime coach at Warren Township High School and the father of Pirates manager Derek Shelton. The other went on to write and direct the film, "Bull Durham."
The two Ron Sheltons were actually teammates for a brief time with the 1967 Bluefield Orioles in the rookie-level Appalachian League.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports