Cubs expand their collection of veteran minor-leaguers
The Cubs added a player to their minor-league arsenal Sunday, claiming first baseman Frank Schwindel off waivers from Oakland.
Schwindel has plenty in common with some other Cubs additions, like Patrick Wisdom, Matt Duffy and Rafael Ortega.
A North Jersey native who played in college at St. John's, Schwindel posted good numbers multiple times in Triple A. He hit .321 at Omaha in 2017 and hit 24 home runs for Omaha in '18. Originally an 18th-round draft pick of Kansas City, he opened some eyes in at spring training in 2018, but never broke through. Between the Royals and A's, Schwindel has just 35 at-bats in the major leagues.
But the Cubs have been looking for guys who can make contact, so maybe Schwindel will get a chance. He'll join the Iowa Cubs for now.
Before the season, the Cubs loaded up on veteran minor leaguers who have been waiting for a chance in the majors, like Wisdom, Ortega and Sergio Alcantara. Another outfielder playing well in Iowa is Michael Hermosillo, who is hitting .312 with 7 home runs in 35 games, through Saturday. Hermosillo is an Ottawa, Ill., native who played in 56 games for the Angels.
• Rehab assignments continued for the Cubs in the minor leagues. Duffy (back) went 2-for-3 with a double for Iowa on Sunday, the first time he's played back-to-back days. David Bote (shoulder) was 0-for-3 in the second game of his rehab.
Pitcher Rowan Wick took the mound for the first time in nearly a year due to an oblique injury and struck out the side for South Bend on Saturday night. New addition Bryce Ball went 0-for-4 Sunday in his second game with South Bend.
Twitter: @McGrawDHSports