Jared Young has been on a winding road since the Cubs optioned him to Triple-A last September, following the first six major-league games of his career.
The Cubs removed him from the 40-man roster over the offseason. Then, they invited him to big-league spring training camp. He played for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic. Then, a couple weeks into the Triple-A season, the Iowa Cubs put him on the developmental list.
On Tuesday, that road brought him back to Wrigley Field. The Cubs selected Young, who has posted an eye-catching 1.031 OPS, from Triple-A. In a set of corresponding moves, they optioned Miles Mastrobuoni to Triple-A and transferred Brandon Hughes (left knee surgery) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day.
“I’m feeling pretty comfortable at the plate right now,” Young said. “You take the confidence of everything that’s happened the last few weeks and the last couple of months and bring it here. I don’t think things are going to change, and I’m pretty excited to be here with the team.”
In his first game back from the developmental list, Young blasted two home runs. But he really got on a roll in June, hitting .395 with eight home runs.
“We’ve been watching for a while,” manager David Ross said. “He’s been swinging the bat really well, mashing right handed pitching, [an] area that we’ve struggled in a little bit when we have some heavy matchups. So he’ll be a guy who can pinch hit off the bench, play some first, some outfield where it matches up. … Part of that is also giving Miles some regular at-bats.”
The Cubs have used a rotating cast of bench players this year, many of them utility men. With regular at-bats hard to come by, the team has cycled some of Iowa’s hottest hitters through the major-league team, sending down scuffling bench players until they get back in rhythm.
In the two weeks since his last call-up, Mastrobuoni had only six at-bats. He did not record a hit.
The Cubs were on a roll when they tabbed Young to join them. They’d won 11 of their last 14 games entering Tuesday, climbing to three games back of the division-leading Brewers.
“I think it means that I can help them win,” Young said. “And that’s what I’m here to do. When you get the call to join a team that’s hot, it’s really exciting, and it just means that much more.”
Wisdom nearing return
Third baseman Patrick Wisdom progressed to a full slate of baseball activities on Tuesday, hitting and taking ground balls on the field before the game.
“Everything feels good,” he told the Sun-Times. “For me, at least, there’s no hindrance with anything.”
Wisdom went on the 10-day IL a week and a half ago with a sprained right wrist. But he’d played through the injury for a couple weeks, since jamming his wrist on a backhand play against the Rays.
Mancini goes to work
Cubs first baseman Trey Mancini was taking infield reps at first base long before team batting practice Thursday, regardless of the haze hanging over the field due to wildfire smoke. Ross said Mancini was working with bench coach Andy Green for over an hour.
Two days earlier, Mancini had taken responsibility for the Cubs’ 7-5 loss because of a costly error he’d made in the field.
“He’s a worker, he owned his mistake, and he’s going to try to be better for it,” Ross said. “What more do you want out of your players than take ownership of the areas where they may have not had things go the way they wanted them to, and then identify that and go out there and get better?”
