Cubs' Bellinger begins rehab assignment; plays first base
The Cubs' Cody Bellinger, who has been out since mid-May with a knee injury, began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday.
Bellinger, who has played center field in all 37 appearances with the Cubs, was at first base in Iowa. And that may continue when he slots back in with the Cubs so that Mike Tauchman can remain in the lineup.
Bellinger has played first in 262 of 836 of his big-league games.
"Tauchman's swinging the bat pretty well and held down center field pretty well," manager David Ross said Tuesday as the Cubs returned from a 10-game West Coast road trip. "Just trying to find the best lineup whenever Belli gets back. He's pretty darn good at first base and has been. Another option over there makes some sense. First-base production hasn't been one of our strengths this year, so gotta get somebody going."
Tauchman is hitting .274 with a .403 on-base percentage in 22 games. He has 3 doubles, no home runs and 6 RBIs.
Ross batted the Palatine native in the leadoff spot for the third straight time as the Cubs opened a three-game series against the Pirates at Wrigley Field. He went 2-for-5 with a walk in an 11-3 victory.
Bellinger is slashing .271/.337/.493 and has 7 home runs and 20 RBIs.
Hughes goes on IL:
Relief pitcher Brandon Hughes was placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to June 12) with left knee inflammation.
Hughes got off to a solid start this season, with opponents hitting just .222 off him in his first 12 appearances.
Three of his last five outings were disasters, however, and Hughes saw his ERA go from 3.60 to 7.24. The 27-year-old had a 3.12 ERA in 57 games for the Cubs in 2022.
"The knee has definitely been an issue and you saw how good he was last year when he (was) healthy," David Ross said. "This year ... the production's not there and he recognizes that and wants to be better.
"He's a big part of our future, man. There's a really good human being in there that's trusted when he's right. The way he competes is really special."
More roster moves:
The Cubs selected the contract of LHP Anthony Kay and recalled infielder Miles Mastrobuoni from Triple-A Iowa. RHP Jeremiah Estrada was optioned to Iowa. To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Nick Burdi was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
Kay has allowed 1 earned run in 8.1 innings with 4 walks and 10 strikeouts in his last seven games with Iowa. For the season, he has a 4.50 ERA in 28 innings.
Around the horn:
Through Monday, Ian Happ's 125-point difference between his .385 on-base percentage and .260 batting average was the sixth-largest spread in the majors. Kyle Schwarber's 152-point spread was the largest, as the Phillies' slugger had a .172 average and .324 OBP. ... The Cubs' series win at San Francisco over the weekend was their first on the road since April 17-19 when they swept the A's.