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May 13: The Cubs have formally selected Ballesteros contract, per a team announcement. Happ heads to the 10-day IL, as expected, while a 40-man roster spot was freed up by transferring righty from the 15-day IL to the 60-day IL. Miller has been out all season due to a hip impingement. May 12: The Cubs intend to promote catching prospect for tomorrows game against the Marlins, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. is headed to the 10-day injured list, Levine adds. Happ has mi sed the past three games with oblique discomfort. Ballesteros is not on the 40-man roster, so the Cubs will need to make another move in that regard. Ballesteros, 21, is one of the top young offensive players in the minors. Hes a career .288/.371/.459 hitter over five profe sional seasons. His production has remained remarkably consistent as he has climbed the ladder. Ballesteros has posted an OPS above .800 at each stop. That includes a ..311/.368/.477 slash for Triple-A Iowa over the past two seasons. The lefty-hitting Ballesteros has been on fire to begin this year. Hes out to a .368/.420/.522 start over his first 34 Triple-A contests. He has Julio Rodriguez Jersey connected on four homers, seven doubles and one triple while limiting his strikeout rate to a minuscule 10.7% clip. Among hitters with 100+ plate appearances, hes second in the International League in batting average and ranks among the top 11 hitters in both on-base percentage and slugging. Hes seventh in the league in OPS, and every other player in the top 10 is at least 24 years old. Unsurprisingly, Ballesteros bat has always been his calling card on scouting reports. He was viewed as an advanced hitter when he signed for $1.5MM out of Venezuela during the 2021 amateur signing period. He climbed towards the top of an excellent Chicago farm system as he continued to prove himself against higher-level pitching. Ballesteros ranked among the leagues Top 100 prospects on offseason lists from Baseball America, , and . had him outside his offseason Top 100 but ranked him sixth in the Cubs system in December. He is up to 37th overall on BAs . The reports are quite similar acro s the board. Hes praised for his well-rounded offensive ability but faces questions about his defensive fit. Ballesteros is listed at 58 and has a heavyset build (though hes reportedly slimmed down a bit in recent years). Hes drawn comparisons to Toronto catcher as a result. Kirk has developed into a solid defensive catcher but faced questions about his glove as a prospect. There are perhaps even greater concerns about Ballesteros receiving acumen and ability to control the running game. Opponents have gone 27-31 in stolen base attempts in his 191 1/3 innings as a catcher this season. Its unlikely that hell get much work behind the dish in the short term. has obliterated opponents to a .303/.443/.671 slash over his first 25 games. has an impre sive .286/.309/.506 line over 22 contests. Theyve been the National Leagues most productive catching tandem. Ballesteros can occasionally spell at first base, but his clearest path to at-bats would come as a designated hitter. has drawn into left field while Happ has been day-to-day. Suzuki should play left regularly for the extent of Happs IL stint. Happ has been out to a typically productive start at the top of Craig Counsells batting order. He owns a .269/.364/.381 line through 187 plate appearances. His power numbers are a bit lighter than usual, but the on-base mark would be the best of his career. Hed been amidst an 0-14 skid leading up the injury but had collected hits in seven straight games before that. His IL stint can be backdated to May 10, meaning hell be eligible to return next week. It remains to be seen if Ballesteros will stick with the big league club once Happ is healthy. Hes past the point where he can accrue a full year of service time through the traditional means, though he meets the prospect criteria to potentially earn a bonus service year via the Prospect Promotion Incentive. Hed get a full service year if he finishes top two in Rookie of the Year voting. The Cubs would not receive an extra draft choice in that instance because they didnt promote him early enough in the season. If this is a permanent promotion, Ballesteros would be well-positioned to qualify for early arbitration as a Super Two player during the 2027-28 offseason even if he doesnt earn the full service year. Image courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images. Al Cowens Jersey |
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