May 21, 2017

Chicago Tribune, Cubs developing knack for making top prospects like Ian Happ feel needed http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-spt-0521-ian-happ-cubs-haugh-20170520-column.html

Chicago Tribune, Cubs not committed to keeping Kyle Schwarber at leadoff spot in batting order http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-brewers-spt-0521-20170520-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Kris Bryant gives nod to World Series bobblehead of him and Anthony Rizzo http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-notes-cubs-brewers-spt-0521-20170520-story.html

Chicago Tribune, Parity threatens to disrupt and spoil the Cubs' party http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/columnists/ct-cubs-sullivan-spt-0521-20170521-column.html

Chicago Sun-Times, A rainout can’t ruin sunny news on Kyle Schwarber’s spot in order http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/a-rainout-cant-ruin-sunny-news-on-kyle-schwarbers-spot-in-order/

Chicago Sun-Times, Ian Happ staying helps nudge Kyle Schwarber out of Cubs’ leadoff spot http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/ian-happ-stays-but-cubs-game-postponed/

Chicago Sun-Times, Joe Maddon, Cubs forced to deal with more bad weather http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/joe-maddon-cubs-forced-to-deal-with-more-bad-weather/

Daily Herald, Ostrowski: Chicago Cubs roster dilemma? Blame Happ http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170520/ostrowski-chicago-cubs-roster-dilemma-blame-happ

Daily Herald, Happ stays, but is Schwarber done leading off for Chicago Cubs? http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170520/happ-stays-but-is-schwarber-done-leading-off-for-chicago-cubs

Daily Herald, Rozner: Chicago Cubs' Maddon right about MLB slide rule http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/20170520/rozner-chicago-cubsx2019-maddon-right-about-mlb-slide-rule

Cubs.com, Heyward likely to return, Arrieta starts vs. Crew http://atmlb.com/2q8QY4M

Cubs.com, Saturday's Brewers-Cubs game postponed http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/231385778/brewers-cubs-game-postponed/

Cubs.com, Maddon shows confidence in rookie Happ http://m.cubs.mlb.com/news/article/231395962/cubs-joe-maddon-impressed-with-ian-happ/

ESPNChicago.com, Rainout doesn't wash away Cubs' new-look lineup http://www.espn.com/blog/chicago/cubs/post/_/id/44267/rainout-doesnt-wash-away-cubs-new-look-lineup

CSNChicago.com, Joe Maddon Explains Decision To Move Kyle Schwarber Out Of Leadoff Spot For Cubs http://www.csnchicago.com/chicago-cubs/joe-maddon-explains-decision-move-kyle-schwarber-out-leadoff-spot-cubs

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Chicago Tribune Cubs developing knack for making top prospects like Ian Happ feel needed By David Haugh On the day last year Cubs catcher Willson Contreras arrived in the major leagues for good, teammate David Ross hugged him as if he had escaped captivity rather than Triple-A Iowa. A few lockers away, Miguel Montero shook hands with the guy he called a future All-Star. The catchers suddenly competing for playing time with Contreras couldn't have provided a warmer welcome without placing a mint on his hotel-room pillow. "Unbelievable," Contreras said. Ian Happ can relate. The newest Cub knows the city from visiting his brother, Chris, a former currency trader who used to live on the Gold Coast. Chris, who's six years older, accompanied Ian to Chicago after his call-up, but Cubs teammates looking out for the kid eating up somebody's at-bats have made any brotherly advice a bonus. "I was with these guys in spring training for a month-and-a-half and got to know them, so they've all been welcoming," Happ said. "This team is so inclusive and everybody is so accepting when guys come in to help the team." A stark local contrast immediately comes to mind. At Halas Hall, anticipation surrounds quarterback Mike Glennon's availability Tuesday because Glennon reportedly reacted negatively over the Bears drafting Mitch Trubisky, his eventual replacement, second overall. The fact Glennon had yet to meet Trubisky before last weekend's rookie camp only fueled that fire. If the Bears were more like the Cubs, Glennon would have offered to follow Trubisky on his long drive to Lake Forest in case Trubisky's 1997 Camry broke down. In pro sports, collective unselfishness can be an intangible as important as talent. This is why character matters so much when drafting and signing players to fill the clubhouse with men mature enough to find the humility necessary to create harmony. This is as much of the Cubs' identity as any of manager Joe Maddon's slogans. This is why Maddon scoffed at the suggestion that Happ playing at someone else's expense might not go over well with those whose status he affects most. "I'd like to believe that's not going to occur here," Maddon said. "I really would not want to be a part of that in the clubhouse. Hopefully, that would (be more likely to) permeate a group maybe at the college or high school level, where the parents are arguing my son's better than yours, and the kid goes home and hears it all the time. "You're not going to hear that here. I want to believe, and I do believe, that our guys are pulling for one another." With the exception of infielder Tommy La Stella going AWOL last summer after a minor-league demotion, the Cubs have given Maddon every reason to believe that. Jason Heyward, making $28 million a year, was benched during the playoffs but never publicly complained. Kyle Schwarber, who missed all but three games of the regular season to injury, dramatically returned as the designated hitter for the World Series, and nobody whined about Schwarber taking his at-bats. Before Contreras and Happ, Maddon successfully orchestrated the installation of Addison Russell at shortstop in 2015, which required supplanting popular former Cub Starlin Castro. And Castro unselfishly stepped aside to second base, without making a fuss, the way players must in a winning organization. But it cannot be taken for granted that every player will. "When you start getting self-centered, man, it's going to go bad in a hurry for you and your group," Maddon said. "So I believe everybody out there wants Ian to do well. We all want each other to do well."

Any other reaction, Maddon said, would represent "a real loser's mentality." The Cubs organization has come a long way since then-incumbent shortstop Ryan Theriot challenged Castro, then a hot 19-year-old prospect, at spring training in 2010. "He's going to have to come and get it," Theriot said. Six months later, the Cubs traded Theriot and Castro came and got the starting job the following May. It was Castro whose name Javier Baez mentioned first when asked what Cubs player embraced him tightest when Baez was called up amid much hype in 2014. "He made me feel like family," Baez said of Castro. Now, Castro plays for the Yankees. The culture of acceptance he helped create remains in the Cubs clubhouse. Former Cubs outfielder David DeJesus extended his career to 12 seasons based largely on his ability to be a great teammate. The first free-agent Cubs President Theo Epstein signed, DeJesus appealed to management mostly for his reputation for staying positive and professional. The team-first mentality DeJesus passed along to Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, among others, came from watching Carlos Beltran as a rookie with the Royals. DeJesus later took the same approach with Kevin Kiermaier on the Rays even though Kiermaier's presence made the outfield more crowded. He practiced what his manager, Maddon, preached, then and now. "Joe takes out the fear that limits players and just says, 'Enjoy your time on the field because it's a long season and we're going to need everybody,'" said DeJesus, now an analyst for CSN. "As a player, you know you were in that situation once too so you want to be honest and open with new guys on what to expect. You want them to succeed. That's what the game is all about, passing it on from generation to generation." The millennials have been called the Me, Me, Me Generation but the young Cubs challenge that notion every time a phenom bursts onto the scene, with Happ the latest example. "I love this team and this city, especially when the weather is nice," Happ said. Chicago's warmth makes Happ want to stay awhile. -- Chicago Tribune Cubs not committed to keeping Kyle Schwarber at leadoff spot in batting order By Paul Skrbina Part of Joe Maddon's job, in his eyes, is to be a public defender. "Praise publicly, criticize privately," the Cubs manager said Saturday after rain postponed his team's game against the Brewers. Maddon wasn't talking about Kyle Schwarber in particular but rather his players in general. But the principle can be applied to his defense of batting Schwarber leadoff this season after Dexter Fowler left for the Cardinals. Schwarber's season-long slump — he's batting .182 — has stumped Maddon, who has looked for optimism in things such as the left fielder's penchant for walking (24 times), which has lifted his on-base percentage to .305.

Maddon has pointed to how hard Schwarber has hit some balls — he has six home runs. The manager said Schwarber would be having the same troubles no matter where he was in the lineup, mostly because he has been hitting into the exaggerated defensive shifts teams employ against him. But if Saturday's game against the Brewers — which was rescheduled for 1:20 p.m. July 6 — had been played, Schwarber would have been batting second behind Ben Zobrist. Of Schwarber's 174 plate appearances this season, 167 have come from the leadoff spot. He also has struck out 49 times. "The biggest thing is to get him untracked a little bit, confidence-wise," Maddon said. "We'll see how it all plays out." For now, it seems, things could play out with Schwarber out of the top spot. Maddon said Schwarber "could be" a leadoff hitter again, but Zobrist's surge after recently being rested for two games and Ian Happ's emergence, have allowed Maddon to rethink his strategy. Zobrist is batting .545 (6-for-11) with a 1.220 OPS in his last four games. Happ, whom Maddon had slotted in Zobrist's former spot behind Anthony Rizzo in Saturday's lineup, is hitting .333 with two home runs, four RBIs and a 1.176 OPS in 21 big-league at-bats. "What I was looking at there, a couple of things," Maddon said of the lineup change. "Zo has been really good lately. And Happ's the new Zobrist. In other words, he can protect Rizzo." Maddon's reasoning then shifted to the aforementioned shift. He figures if Zobrist can continue to get on base in front of Schwarber, perhaps opposing defenses will be forced to abandon or alter their shift, which includes three infielders on the right side of second base. Schwarber, like most players, is at his best when he's hitting line drives. His batting average when he does so this season sits at .611. That number falls to .186 on ground balls and .189 on fly balls. The Cubs say none of that is cause for concern or panic. After all, Schwarber has yet to play a full season in the majors and has 452 regular-season plate appearances to his name. Cubs President Theo Epstein has joined Maddon repeatedly in backing Schwarber. He did so most recently Tuesday, when he scoffed at the notion of sending the slugger to the minor leagues to find his swing. "If anyone wants to sell their Kyle Schwarber stock, we're buying," Epstein said. "If they want to sell low, we'll buy low. He's going to have tremendous production at the end of the year. He's going to have a lot of big hits to help us win games. It just means there's a lot of hits out there for the rest of the year. "He hasn't gotten on track yet, but we have no doubts that he will." Whether he does it from the top of the Cubs order remains to be seen. -- Chicago Tribune Kris Bryant gives nod to World Series bobblehead of him and Anthony Rizzo By Paul Skrbina Kris Bryant nodded in approval — and relief — Saturday morning when he saw "Final Out," the World Series bobblehead that features him and Anthony Rizzo.

"Oh, way better," Bryant said while briefly inspecting the souvenir, which was to be handed out to the first 10,000 fans at Saturday's rained-out game against the Brewers. Bryant's first experience as a bobbleheader resulted in a doll that looked like Ichiro Suzuki with a mullet. He keeps one in his locker — and in a closet at home. "Let's not talk about that," he said with a smile earlier this season. Bryant joked Saturday that maybe he would bring one to Suzuki when the Cubs play the Marlins. The nodder, which commemorates Bryant's throw to Rizzo to seal the franchise's first World Series championship since 1908, now will be given to fans July 6, when Saturday's game is scheduled to be made up. People lined up early Saturday morning outside Wrigley Field in anticipation of the giveaway. "I guess when you've achieved bobblehead-dom, it's kind of a big moment in anyone's life," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "To stand in lines, I don't quite understand that. Just go to eBay or Amazon." Give it a rest: Saturday's rainout assured some rest for Cubs relievers, even though Maddon said the time off wasn't critical for a bullpen that has thrown 1551/3 innings in 41 games this year. The only two relievers who likely wouldn't have been available Saturday were Mike Montgomery, who pitched two innings Friday, and Brian Duensing, who also pitched two. "Our bullpen was not in bad shape today," Maddon said. Jake Arrieta, who was scheduled to start Saturday, will start Sunday, Maddon said. The rest of the rotation will fall in line behind him as scheduled with John Lackey going Monday against the Giants. Roster moves: Tommy La Stella was nowhere to be found Saturday morning in the Cubs clubhouse. Nor was Pierce Johnson. The two likely will be optioned officially to Triple-A Iowa before Sunday's game against the Brewers. Outfielder Jason Heyward, who was in the lineup before the game Saturday was called, will be activated officially from the 10-day disabled list Sunday after he injured his finger May 5. Johnson, a right-handed pitcher who pitched one inning in his major-league debut Friday, likely will be sent down to make room for fellow right-handed pitcher Dylan Floro. -- Chicago Tribune Parity threatens to disrupt and spoil the Cubs' party By Paul Sullivan With a quarter of the 2017 season in the books, the baseball season resembles a snow globe. Just shake up the standings from 2016 and see where everything settles. Almost every team that made it to the postseason last year has endured some difficulty, while rebuilding clubs such as the Brewers and Twins are on top of their divisions. The two World Series teams, the Cubs and Indians, are barely above .500, as are the Red Sox despite adding Chris Sale.

The Rangers got off to a horrible start before putting together a 10-game winning streak. The Blue Jays, Giants and Mets are train wrecks for various reasons. The Dodgers, Nationals and Orioles are really the only teams from the 2016 postseason that seem as if they haven't missed a beat. It's still early, but parity appears rampant. "I thought so," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said after the threat of rain postponed Saturday's game against the Brewers. "I've been kind of emphasizing the Brewers and the Reds. Even last year I thought they were getting better. The Diamondbacks I thought would be better last year and all of a sudden it's happening this year. I do believe there is (parity). There's such an ascension of really good, young talent right now, and it's spread out really good. "You're going to continue to see this trend. It's great. When more fan bases are involved right down to the very end, especially with the added wild card … it has to be good for the industry. ... I love the fact our division is even tougher right now. That's better for us. If you want to get the best out of us you really want to compete well on a nightly basis. Milwaukee got us again (Friday). They're in first place. Cincinnati was in first place. "So I think it's wonderful. I really mean that sincerely." Cubs fans probably would be OK with a little less parity, at least in the National League. Last year at this point the Cubs were 29-12 with a 6 1/2-game lead. They didn't experience their first real slump until mid-June, when the Cardinals swept them and they went on to lose 15 out of 20 heading into the final game before the All-Star break. That led to a ton of negative questions for the Cubs' All-Star contingent in San Diego. Anthony Rizzo was asked about the difficulty of trying to appease the Cubs' "snakebit and demoralized fans" and whether the players were glad people were no longer "kissing their butts" since the slump. "I can't control if Eric's sitting on his couch and doesn't play baseball and is mad at our team," Rizzo said, referring to an imaginary angst-filled fan. When the Cubs returned home from the break, Rizzo insisted the "only ones panicking" were reporters, while team President Theo Epstein said he was "calling (bull)" on people "getting too down on us when we're not playing well or falsely call us out for stuff." "Stay calm" was the message, and it seemed to resonate. The Cubs went 50-23 in the second half, cruising to the division title and getting a chance to rest regulars for the postseason. Adding Aroldis Chapman at the trade deadline didn't hurt, and the result was the end of the championship drought. Most of the same players are back, but the Cubs have yet to go on a hot streak. Meanwhile, the longer the Brewers and Cardinals hang around, the more confident they will become. A three-way race is not inconceivable, and the possibility of the Cubs getting into the postseason as a wild card can't be dismissed. Remember the anxiety you felt before the 2015 wild-card game in Pittsburgh? Anything can go wrong in a winner-take-all game, which is why a division title is so crucial. "It's never going to be the same path," Maddon said Friday while promoting his new "Embrace the Suck" slogan. "To this point it has not run exactly the way we would have liked it to, but to really expect utopia on an annual basis in the baseball industry is difficult and really not a good method." That's the problem. The Cubs' rebuild has gone so smoothly since Maddon's arrival fans have come to expect utopia annually, and the huge ticket-price increase in 2017 suggested utopia was attainable.

Instead, we have parity. And whether it's a wonderful thing is in the eye of the beholder. -- Chicago Sun-Times A rainout can’t ruin sunny news on Kyle Schwarber’s spot in order By Rick Morrissey I recently accused Joe Maddon of being stubborn for his insistence on keeping a struggling Kyle Schwarber in the leadoff spot. This is a manager whose batting order spins like a slot machine from game to game, so it didn’t make sense for Maddon to be so married to the Schwarber decision. But it sure looked as if vows had been exchanged. On Saturday, Maddon had Ben Zobrist leading off – hallelujah! — and Schwarber hitting second for the first time this season. The Cubs-Brewers game was rained out – boo! — but for those of us who think a relocation in the order might help Schwarber get out of his slump, it was a blast of sunshine at soggy Wrigley Field. Maddon gave a long, involved answer as to why he decided to shake things up, and much of it had to do with Ian Happ, he of the 21 career major-league at-bats, being the key to the universe. Who knew? Also, Zobrist is starting to hit better, Maddon said, and perhaps Schwarber wouldn’t see as many defensive shifts if he came to bat with Zobrist on base. I don’t know if Maddon has finally waved the white flag on the Schwarber Leadoff Experience, but props to him for unfurling it for at least one day. “The biggest thing is just to get him untracked a little bit, confidence-wise,’’ Maddon said. “… So we’ll see. We’ll see how it all plays out.’’ There is very little difference between batting first or second, of course, so you can make the argument that if Maddon really wanted to help the team, he’d put Schwarber’s .182 average farther down in the order where it can do less damage. Let the 24-year-old get himself right, and then move him back up in the order. But that’s not how Maddon rolls, and it’s certainly not how the Cubs roll on Schwarber, in whom they are 100 percent invested emotionally. They love the guy. It’s why the mere suggestion of a Schwarber trade sounds completely tone deaf. Haven’t you heard the sweet nothings management has sent his way since he came up to the big leagues in 2015? He’s not going anywhere. Not to another team. Not to the minors. Schwarber is probably the most extreme example of Maddon’s mellow-fellow approach to managing, but it spreads to every corner of the clubhouse. We haven’t seen Maddon react negatively to the team’s 21-20 start, and there’s no suggestion he will even if the mediocrity continues the entire season. “The only thing that really bothers me is when I think players don’t care or their work suffers or their work isn’t what it had been,’’ he said. “I really do anticipate ebb and flow all the time. It’s a really difficult game, especially for the everyday guy. If you’re playing close to 162 games a year, it’s not easy to be perfect every night. “And on top of that, in spite of our recent success over the last two years, our guys are still very young and inexperienced. You’re seeing a lot of young at-bats right now. That’s the biggest thing that I’m seeing.’’ The Cubs embraced their youthfulness all the way to a World Series title last season, so for them to use it now as a rationalization for their struggles feels … what’s the word? … weak. But Maddon is all about deflection, about absorbing the blows for his players. Schwarber might be struggling, but you’d never know it listening to his boss. He’s hitting the ball hard, Maddon insists. Jake Arrieta, with a 5.44

earned-run average and an opponent batting average of .291, is only a “snap of the fingers’’ away from getting back to the pitcher he used to be. And so on. Better to insult the intelligence of the paying customer than to bring down the player. That’s the mindset. “It’s not the typical 40-, 50-year-ago approach where anger enters into methods in regard to attempting to make something better that’s not so good,’’ Maddon said. “I really want to believe that’s archaic, though if you follow politics these days, maybe some people still believe in it. “I don’t believe in that method. I never have, actually.’’ A player looking for unconditional support from a manager can’t do better than Maddon. A fan looking for the truth might want to look elsewhere. “Praise publicly, criticize privately,’’ Maddon said. In other words, don’t come to him to find out why Addison Russell has gone missing at the plate. -- Chicago Sun-Times Ian Happ staying helps nudge Kyle Schwarber out of Cubs’ leadoff spot By Brian Sandalow Ian Happ isn’t going anywhere. That’s one reason Kyle Schwarber’s stint atop the Cubs’ lineup might be over. Before their game Saturday against the Brewers was postponed because of inclement weather, the Cubs were expected to send Tommy La Stella — not Happ — to Class AAA Iowa to make room for Jason Heyward, who was set to return from the 10-day disabled list. Happ, the Cubs’ first-round pick in 2015, was called up May 13 and has hit well, batting .333 with two home runs and four RBI while showing his versatility in the field. ‘‘He’s done a really good job at the plate, on defense, running the bases,’’ manager Joe Maddon said. ‘‘A big part of it is the fact that, like a lot of our guys, he’s not overwhelmed. That’s probably the most impressive part of it. He’s acting like he wants to stay here and that he belongs here.’’ Happ’s emergence also helped nudge Maddon into moving Schwarber out of the leadoff spot. If not for the postponement, Happ would have batted fifth and played center field. Schwarber was dropped to second in the order, with Ben Zobrist leading off and playing second base. In explaining the lineup change, Maddon noted how well Zobrist has been hitting lately and how Happ can protect Anthony Rizzo in the lineup. He also pointed out Schwarber is more susceptible to the shift when he leads off or hits with nobody on base. If Schwarber bats after Zobrist gets on base, then he wouldn’t have to face a shift. ‘‘Happ being here pretty much permits me to think that way, I think, and the fact that he’s done so well,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘I was always concerned about Zo leaving that spot [behind Rizzo]. Just imagine, if I put Zo up there [at leadoff] and Happ wasn’t there behind Rizzo, what that would look like. I wouldn’t feel as good about it. ‘‘A lot of different little moving parts. I was thinking about it [Friday] night coming into [Saturday], and I thought it made some sense.’’ Schwarber is hitting .182 and has a .305 on-base percentage, and Maddon didn’t commit to returning him to the top spot in the order. ‘‘It just depends,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘The biggest thing is just to get him untracked a little bit confidence-wise.’’

At least for now, Happ doesn’t seem to have any issues with confidence. He’s hitting like he belongs and has played all three outfield spots, all while getting used to being a major-leaguer. ‘‘As you play a ton of baseball games, you get a lot of experience in the minor leagues,’’ Happ said. ‘‘But just coming up here, it’s a continuation of a growth process. Just trying to learn every day and get a little bit better.’’ Maddon said he’ll take advantage of Happ’s ability to play various positions, though the ‘‘fact that he can play center field well makes a big difference, obviously.’’ ‘‘The fact that he can play multiple positions permits him to be in the big leagues right now,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘If he was a one-position pony and that position wasn’t open, you’d have to consider somebody else. And that’s what the game was for so many years. ‘‘I love the fact young players are willing to accept multiple positions. [They’re] not worried about an old-school method of thinking or the fact that they may not achieve maybe financial reward or awards in general.’’ -- Chicago Sun-Times Joe Maddon, Cubs forced to deal with more bad weather By Brian Sandalow Manager Joe Maddon had another reason Saturday to promote his new ‘‘Embrace the Suck’’ T-shirt: the weather. The Cubs’ game Saturday against the Brewers was postponed because of inclement weather about two hours before the scheduled first pitch. It was the second consecutive day the weather was a factor. The game Friday featured a 1-hour, 59-minute delay and harsh weather. ‘‘Nothing you can do about it,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘That’s why we’re here — to embrace the suck. You could cry about it. You could complain, ‘Oh, the weather’s been bad. It’s unfortunate.’ That’s what it is. You’ve got to deal with it, and you move forward.” At least the teams weren’t subjected to another day of poor playing conditions and a delay. ‘‘[Friday] was just a tougher day for both sides,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘Having the start, the stop, the intensity of the weather, how cold. It’s just not real baseball weather by any means. It wasn’t. However, both teams have to endure it. It happens occasionally, but you can’t complain about it.” The scheduled starters Saturday — the Brewers’ Chase Anderson and the Cubs’ Jake Arrieta — are expected to pitch Sunday. And the makeup game is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. Thursday, July 6. Sparing the ’pen The rainout wasn’t terrible news for the Cubs’ bullpen, but Maddon said the relief corps wasn’t in bad shape. He said only Mike Montgomery and Brian Duensing likely wouldn’t have been available Saturday. Maddon said he has to watch how much he uses Montgomery, who has been valuable in both long and short relief. Montgomery threw two innings Friday after getting only two outs Wednesday against the Reds. Before that, he had pitched 10⅔ innings in four May outings. ‘‘I’m very concerned about overusing [Montgomery], and that’s a daily conversation with him and with [bullpen coach Lester Strode and pitching coach Chris Bosio],’’ Maddon said. ‘‘He looks good out there to me. I don’t think we’ve pressed him or pushed him too hard to this point.’’

The Cubs also were expected to bring back reliever Dylan Floro and return reliever Pierce Johnson to Class AAA Iowa. Maddon didn’t discuss that move specifically, but he said any transactions planned for Saturday likely would happen Sunday. Bobblehead news The first 10,000 fans were going to receive ‘‘The Final Out’’ bobbleheads, featuring third baseman Kris Bryant and first baseman Anthony Rizzo. That promotion also has been shifted to July 6, which means the fans who were lined up outside Wrigley Field around 9 a.m. will have to wait a few more weeks for the giveaway. Maddon said he feels indifferent about bobbleheads. ‘‘I like having them on my shelf whenever they present one of all the boys,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘I’ve done that for years. But I guess when you achieve bobblehead-dom, it’s kind of a big moment in anybody’s life.’’ Maddon had a playful suggestion for those who were waiting outside Wrigley. ‘‘To stand in lines, I don’t quite understand that,’’ Maddon said. ‘‘Just go to eBay or Amazon.’’ -- Daily Herald Ostrowski: Chicago Cubs roster dilemma? Blame Happ By Joe Ostrowski Joe Maddon is known for bringing the circus to the ballpark. Professional juggler will now be in his job description. It's Ian Happ's fault. He has been with the big club for a week and earned his stay with a .333 average, .462 on-base percentage, and 1.176 on-base plus slugging. Happ already has played all three outfield positions and hit second and cleanup in Maddon's lineup. Once Jason Heyward is officially activated from the disabled list, Tommy LaStella is expected to be sent back down to Triple A-Iowa. Sorry, Tommy, it's Happ's fault. Five of the eight position players are locked in most days. Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Willson Contreras and Kyle Schwarber. That leaves six Cubs for three positions: second base, center field and right field. Three guys in their young 20s who need playing time, a World Series MVP, a highly paid defensive stud and someone Maddon has said he wants to adopt. Albert Almora, Javier Baez, Happ, Heyward, Jon Jay and Ben Zobrist. These six already have played a combined 15 positions this year. Two switch hitters, two right-handed hitters and two from the left side. Almora: The 23-year-old has only played center field this season after roaming the entire outfield as a rookie. Almora's offensive numbers are just over a 100-game sample size, but the splits between right- and left-handed pitching is drastic. While excelling against lefties with a .314 average, .368 OBP and .968 OPS, Almora's OPS drops 353 points against righties. The defense has struggled early on, compared to 2016. A candidate to be demoted if needed. Baez: One of Maddon's favorites can be a very streaky player. Baez can win you games with his glove and bat. But he also can be frustrating when he doesn't make the routine play or chases pitches outside of the strike zone. The NLCS co-MVP is still only 24.

Happ: The 2015 draft pick is a switch hitter who might get action at the corner infield positions. If his bat cools off, he could be sent back to the minors. Maddon stacks the top of the batting order with his best hitters, and that's exactly where Happ has been. Heyward: One of the best defensive players in Major League Baseball. His 9 defensive runs saved is the most of any outfielder, even though some have played over 100 more innings. Heyward doesn't have much of a shot against southpaws, but he makes such an impact defensively, the Cubs don't really care. Jay: After 3,131 plate appearances, matchups don't matter for Jay. His average and OBP are nearly identical. Zobrist: There isn't a clear advantage against righties or lefties for this switch hitter either. The veteran has won back-to-back championships. Good luck, Maddon. It's Happ's fault. -- Daily Herald Happ stays, but is Schwarber done leading off for Chicago Cubs? By Bruce Miles The Chicago Cubs don't need a baseball game to make news. They made plenty of interesting news Saturday even as their scheduled game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field was rained out. The teams will make up the game on July 6 at 1:20 p.m. The current series concludes Sunday, with Jake Arrieta pitching for the Cubs against Chase Anderson. The first news from Cubs camp is that rookie Ian Happ will be staying with the big club for the foreseeable future. He was in Saturday's lineup even as the Cubs were set to activate Jason Heyward and play Heyward in right field. The second piece of news is that Kyle Schwarber was in the lineup but not in the leadoff spot, where he had been for 35 of the team's first 41 games. Ben Zobrist was scheduled to lead off Saturday. To hear manager Joe Maddon tell it, the machinations are all tied together. "What I was looking at there, a couple things: Zo's been really good lately," Maddon said. "We gave him that couple days off, and he's come out of it real nicely. And Happ's the new Zobrist. In other words, he could protect (Anthony) Rizzo. The other component, I thought, we've talked about Kyle hitting a lot of balls into the shift. If in fact Zo can get on (base) a little bit more often, it might move that second baseman out of that spot. "You look at Schwarber's batting average (.182) even Anthony's (.224), a lot of that is impacted by 'the shift.' Happ being here pretty much permits me to think that way and the fact that he's done so well, because I was always concerned about Zo leaving that (cleanup) spot. Just imagine that today, if I put Zo up there and Happ wasn't there behind Rizzo, what that would look like. I wouldn't feel as good about it. A lot of different little moving parts. I thought it made some sense." The big question then becomes whether Schwarber will return to the leadoff spot any time soon or at all. "He could be; it just depends," Maddon said. "The biggest thing is just to get him untracked a little bit, confidence wise. I started the shift several years ago, and a lot of your own guys hate you now, the fact that they're hitting into this positioning a lot. We'll see how it all plays out."

Happ makes an impact: Happ is staying because he came up May 13 and made an immediate impact. In a small sample size, he is 7-for-21 (. 333) with 2 homers, 4 RBI and an on-base percentage of . 462. "He's done a really good job, at the plate, on defense, on the bases," Maddon said. "He's -- like a lot of our guys -- not overwhelmed, and that's probably the most impressive part of it. He's acting like he wants to stay here and that he belongs here." Happ has a feel for the game, which is difficult to teach. "I've been playing baseball a long time, not quite at this level, but I think as you play a ton of baseball games, you get a lot of experience in the minor leagues," Happ said. "Just coming up here, it's a continuation of the growth process, just trying to learn every day and get a little bit better." Maddon notices. "They're fine," he said of the young players. "They're not overwhelmed. They're good. They're present-tense. They're not in that survival mode where they're just here, trying to not make mistakes, trying to not do something that brings attention to themselves in a negative light. They're here to try to help us win." For Maddon, it's a matter of a young player going through stages. "One, happy to be here," he said. "Two, survival: 'I like this. I want to stay here.' But you have to have that Stage 3 player: 'I belong here. I can do this.' I'm sure that some of our younger guys are maybe fighting that a little bit: 'I belong here. I can do this.' But I think it's a small percentage of their being. I think for the most part our guys are about winning first. And that's why they're here." Roster moves delayed: The likely corresponding move for Heyward will be for the Cubs to option infielder Tommy La Stella to Class AAA Iowa. The Cubs also are set to option reliever Pierce Johnson to Iowa and recall reliever Dylan Floro from Iowa. Floro was at Wrigley Field Saturday. With the rainout, the Cubs didn't make those moves official, but they're likely to do so Sunday. -- Daily Herald Rozner: Chicago Cubs' Maddon right about MLB slide rule By Barry Rozner The baseball media had its way with Joe Maddon this past week, in typical groupthink about all things new -- and old -- as it relates to the national pastime. Anyone who doesn't agree is a dinosaur. Anyone who does is correct. There is only one answer. Cheer Bud Selig reaching the Hall of Fame. Vote in all the steroids guys. Start extra innings with runners on base. Got it. Understood. Undiminished. In Maddon's case, the Chicago Cubs manager was pummeled for thinking the second-base slide rule needs some adjustment after the absurd Ian Happ call in St. Louis.

"When you slide directly over the bag and you're called out," Maddon said, "where there's no chance for a runner to be thrown out at first base and there was nothing egregiously dangerous on the part of our runner, don't give me hyperbole and office-created rules." And, apparently, Maddon's sarcasm wasn't appreciated when he suggested rule changes to protect every player from injury. Maddon proposed eliminating the headfirst slide, adding a protective screen for the on-deck hitter, and making mandatory face masks for hitters, helmets for pitchers and a cup check for all players. He got some laughs. He made his point. The fact that he ripped the rule and was not reprimanded by MLB tells you all you need to know about the statute and that it might be amended. Quietly and within the game, he received plenty of praise for raising the issue. It tells you that he was probably right and that even baseball grudgingly agrees. They probably also realize now they should have never removed the neighborhood play. As for safety around the bag, ask Dustin Pedroia, who was spiked by Manny Machado a month ago when Pedroia protected himself by using the bag and did not get the call. But the rule that punished the Cubs for an innocuous slide did not protect Pedroia from a dangerous slide. If you can figure it out, if you have some earthly clue, please inform those who actually play the game. "I don't even know what the rule is," Pedroia told the Boston media. "I've turned the best double play in the major leagues for 11 years. I don't need a (bleeping) rule. Let's be honest. The rule's irrelevant." After last weekend's ruling cost the Cubs dearly in St. Louis, Jon Lester said, "These guys have turned double plays their entire lives. They know how to get the (heck) out of the way. I'm over this (darn) slide rule." Middle infielders have played the game for more than a century, and most of those who played for 10 or 15 or 20 years managed to avoid serious injury by simply being competent. It's not that complicated. There is, however, always room for conversation. "I think it's hard," said Cubs GM Jed Hoyer. "The intention of Major League Baseball is to keep guys healthy. "Sometimes when you write a rule there's times that certain plays fall on the wrong side of the rule. When you have slides that aren't malicious in any way, but it's illegal by the letter of the law and you get an out and it costs you a run, you know no one wants to see that called an out." Of course, as someone who works in a front office and whose job it is to manage assets, Hoyer is in favor of keeping huge salaries on the field and off the disabled list. Makes sense. "I do think that for the greater good, they're trying to keep people healthy. As I see the world, that's a good thing," Hoyer said. "Not every rule is worded perfectly. When writing the rule, they probably err on the side of conservatism. "You can point to a lot of sports and the complaints are probably similar."

Hoyer is correct. It happens all the time in hockey and football where the unintended consequences of some rules have only made the sports more dangerous. But it's sports. You can't protect everyone from every possible situation. Sometimes players get hurt. Maddon's sarcasm was directed at those who believe you should put every player in Bubble Wrap to keep them from getting injured. The fact that baseball didn't smack him around for his remarks tells you they know the rule is flawed and needs rewriting. He's trying to start a reasonable conversation about an unreasonable rule. That hardly makes Maddon a dinosaur. -- Cubs.com Heyward likely to return, Arrieta starts vs. Crew By Scott Chasen After Saturday's game was postponed due to inclement weather, the National League Central leaders will conclude a rain-shortened two-game set against the 2016 World Series champions at Wrigley Field on Sunday afternoon. While one player is expected to return, another may very well find his name in the mix. Sunday's game will likely mark the return of Cubs outfielder Jason Heyward, who has missed 12 games after injuring his right index finger. Heyward was back in the clubhouse -- and the lineup for Saturday's postponed game -- over the weekend, and he said he expects to play. On the other side, the Brewers will meet again Sunday morning with left fielder Ryan Braun, who is eligible to return from the 10-day disabled list. Braun has been making steady progress back from right elbow and left calf injuries, but he was unable to test things out at Wrigley Field due to the tough weather conditions on Friday and Saturday. If the Crew holds off on activating Braun for one more day, he'll be able to sit out Monday -- a Brewers off-day -- before a potential return to action Tuesday against the Blue Jays at Miller Park. However, even without Braun, Milwaukee has fared well in May, taking the first game of the series against the Cubs and winning seven of its past eight overall. "We've won games in different ways," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. "We've won games with good pitching in the last four days. It's a little bit of everything that we've done well in his absence." Things to know about this game • Despite Saturday's rainout, the pitching matchup is slated to remain a constant. Cubs righty Jake Arrieta (4-3, 5.44 ERA) will square off against Brewers right-hander Chase Anderson (2-0, 3.43 ERA). • Arrieta has already pitched against the Brewers once this year, giving up three runs in seven innings in a 7-4 win. However, it hasn't been all quality starts for the right-hander, whose May ERA (6.89) marks the highest he's had for a month since June 2013 (9.64). • Anderson has also made a start against the Cubs this season, working around seven hits and allowing two earned runs in five innings in a 6-3 win. The righty has pitched well against the Cubs in his career, posting a 2.66 ERA in four outings.

• While Cubs manager Joe Maddon credited the Brewers for a "tremendous leap in their pitching," he also had praise for their power. Entering Sunday, Eric Thames boasted 13 home runs, while the Brewers had 65, which led Major League Baseball. -- Cubs.com Saturday's Brewers-Cubs game postponed By Carrie Muskat and Adam McCalvy CHICAGO -- After playing through a miserable rain at Wrigley Field on Friday, the Cubs and Brewers didn't repeat on Saturday afternoon. Saturday's game was postponed because of inclement weather and was rescheduled for Thursday, July 6 at 1:20 p.m. CT -- previously a mutual off-day for the teams. Fans who had tickets for Saturday's game were asked to retain them to use for the rescheduled contest. Both teams opted to push Saturday's scheduled starters back a day, so Chase Anderson will start for Milwaukee against Chicago's Jake Arrieta on Sunday. "There's nothing you can do about it," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "You can cry about it, complain, 'Oh, the weather has been bad, it's been unfortunate.' ... That's what it is, you gotta deal with it, and you move forward. Regardless, [Friday] was just a tougher day -- both sides -- I mean having the start, the stop, the intensity of the weather, how cold -- I mean, that's just not real baseball weather by any means. It wasn't." The Cubs fell in Friday's series opener, 6-3, after enduring a one-hour, 59-minute rain delay in the sixth inning. It was Milwaukee's 10th win in its past 12 games. The rainout gave the Brewers another day to rest hard-worked closer Corey Knebel, who was not available Friday and might have been off limits Saturday, too, after pitching four times in five days through Thursday. But the Brewers are hot right now, in first place in the National League Central at 25-18, so a number of staffers were keeping tabs on the weather forecast Saturday morning with hope of playing. Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell joked about technology creating an army of amateur meteorologists. "Weather apps have made everybody an expert, and then the other thing is everybody has their own different weather app, so everybody's weather app says something different," he said. "So everybody's got a different answer now." Of course, everyone thinks their own answer is right. "Exactly," Counsell said, smiling. "But I would recommend that the Cubs use a different app, because the one they were using [Friday] wasn't working." The Cubs did not make a roster move regarding outfielder Jason Heyward. He was to be activated from the disabled list and was in the lineup for Saturday's game before the rainout was announced. However, because the game was postponed, no move was made. The Brewers, meanwhile, may activate left fielder Ryan Braun from the disabled list as soon as Sunday. Braun has been on the 10-day DL with a left calf strain, and Sunday is the first date he's eligible to return -- though the wet weather has so far prevented him from testing his legs in running drills. The Crew planned to meet again Sunday morning to make a decision. --

Cubs.com Maddon shows confidence in rookie Happ By Scott Chasen CHICAGO -- The game itself never happened, but the message was still sent. Slotted at right field in Saturday's Cubs lineup was Jason Heyward, who is now expected to be activated Sunday for the first time since May 5 after injuring a finger on his right hand. But it wasn't his name that sent the message, but rather rookie Ian Happ's sitting one spot above. "He's done a really good job," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of Happ, the Cubs' No. 2 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com. "At the plate, on defense, running the bases -- he's done a really nice job." Nice enough to stick around, at least for the time being. With the return of Heyward imminent, Maddon had a decision to make about who he would send down. Happ might've seemed a logical choice, at least initially, but he was able to show he belonged, Maddon said, with his play on the field. So instead, the Cubs on Saturday were likely to send Tommy La Stella down to activate Heyward, in addition to sending down right-hander Pierce Johnson for right-hander Dylan Floro. Neither move was completed because of the rainout and nothing is official yet, but Maddon said it was "more than likely" Saturday's plan would be carried out Sunday. Through six games, Happ is hitting .333 with two home runs, four RBIs, five walks and a .462 on-base percentage. "Happy to be in the lineup again," Happ said of seeing his name on the board Saturday. "[I'm] starting to get a feel for the first time playing in the outfield with these guys constantly." In addition to the production and feel for the game, one thing Maddon said he likes about Happ is the flexibility he allows for in the lineup. That was on display Saturday, even if it was just on the videoboard. With Kyle Schwarber in a bit of a slump -- though Maddon said some of that is due to the shift he faces at the plate -- the manager said having Happ around means he can tinker with things in the lineup. An example he gave was moving Ben Zobrist ahead of Schwarber at the top of the order and seeing if that might open things up for his left fielder. "If, in fact, Zo can get on a little more often," Maddon said, "it might move that second baseman out of that spot [on the shift]." As for Happ's future role, he said he hasn't had any conversations about at-bats or playing time and is simply focusing on the "confutation of the work process." That mentality is one of the several reasons Maddon identified that Happ was still in the clubhouse Saturday, having earned his spot on the roster for now. "He's not overwhelmed," Maddon said. "And that's probably the most impressive part of it." -- ESPNChicago.com Rainout doesn't wash away Cubs' new-look lineup By Bradford Doolittle CHICAGO -- Saturday rainouts are a sad thing at Wrigley Field. There is always a big-event feel to Saturday afternoon game in Wrigleyville, whether or not the Chicago Cubs are any good. That’s especially the case now that they are really good.

That was certainly the feel on Saturday, even with the cool weather, gray sky and ominous forecast on everybody’s mind. Hours before Saturday’s washout of a game scheduled against surging Milwaukee Brewers, fans lined up at every gate hoping to get a Bryzzo bobblehead, and they remained there even once the skies opened up. Alas, the game was bagged, the gates never opened, and the fans went back from whence they came. (Perhaps to return on July 6, when the makeup date -- complete with the Bryzzo bobblehead giveaway -- will be played. “Nothing we can do about it,” Cubs manager Joe Maddon said -- about the washout, not the fans. “That’s why we’re here to embrace the suck. Are you going to cry about it?” If the game had been played, we would have seen a juggled Cubs lineup. There are a couple of different storylines addressed by the configuration put together by Maddon. First, here it is, or was, since there is no guarantee that this will be a common ordering for Maddon going forward: 1. Ben Zobrist, 2B; 2. Kyle Schwarber, LF; 3. Kris Bryant, 3B; 4. Anthony Rizzo, 1B; 5. Ian Happ, CF; 6. Jason Heyward, RF; 7. Willson Contreras, C; 8. Addison Russell, SS; 9. Jake Arrieta, P. “What I was looking at there was a couple of things,” Maddon said. “First, Zo has been really good lately. We gave him a couple of days off, and he has come out of it real nicely. And Happ is the new Zobrist. In other words, he can protect Rizzo.” Zobrist has hit leadoff from time to time during his career. He did so quite a few times during the days he and Maddon shared in Tampa Bay with the Rays. On one hand, Zobrist makes sense as a leadoff guy. He’s ultra-patient and typically puts up a high on-base percentage, but he also has the pop to start off a game with a bang. Ironically though, the leadoff slot has never been great for Zobrist -- his .329 career OBP there is his lowest in any spot one 1 through 8. Still, the bigger news about this lineup card is that it dropped Schwarber into the two-hole. With Schwarber struggling, his presence atop an underachieving Cubs lineup has been widely debated in recent days in a way that it wouldn’t if Schwarber were built like Willie Wilson. Still, in moving Schwarber down, Maddon wasn’t so much raising a white flag on using him as a leadoff guy. It was more a calculated move based on Schwarber’s ailing average on balls in play, which, at .226, ranks 170th out of 184 qualifying players across baseball. This is despite a well-hit average (.176) that ranks 71st. “We’ve talked a lot about Kyle hitting balls into the shift,” Maddon said. “If in fact Zo can get on a little bit more often, it might move that second baseman out of that spot. I don’t know. It might.” Indeed, only eight big leaguers have faced more shifts so far this season than Schwarber, who has seen them 119 times, according to TruMedia. His total of 23 at-bats affected by shifts also ranks ninth. However, before we consider Maddon’s notion a potential stroke of genius, consider that one of the players who has faced more shifts than Schwarber is Rizzo, who has seen 130 of them but has been affected by those shifts just 12 times. “You look at Schwarber’s batting average, and even Anthony’s,” Maddon said, “a lot of that is impacted by the shift.” Anyway, Maddon wasn’t ruling Schwarber out of returning to the top slot. The other piece of intrigue from the washed-out lineup was the presence of both the rookie Happ and the veteran Heyward in it. Technically, Heyward is still on the disabled list, where he has been since May 8 because of a sprained finger. However, it had already been reported that Heyward would be activated Saturday. What was not reported was

who would be sent down, and many figured it would be Happ, a high-level prospect with just a few days of service time under his belt. Instead, Happ was in the lineup, and while the Cubs didn’t announce any official moves because of the rainout, infielder Tommy LaStella was not in the clubhouse, and his locker had been cleaned out. All of this suggests that the Cubs feel pretty good about what they’ve seen from Happ, who has hit .333/.462/.714 in his first six games, batting cleanup in four of them. “(Happ) has done a really good job, at the plate, on defense, running the bases,” Maddon said. “He’s done a really nice job. A big part of it is, like a lot of our guys, he’s not overwhelmed. That’s probably the most impressive part of it.” This storyline is tied to the other one, which Maddon alluded to: Happ’s emergence has convinced Maddon that he can provide the lineup protection he wants behind Rizzo, which in turn frees up Zobrist to bat first. “Happ being here pretty much permits me to think that way,” Maddon said. “And the fact that he’s done so well. I was always concerned about Zo leaving that spot. Imagine that today, if I put Zo up there and Happ wasn’t there behind, what that would look like. I wouldn’t feel as a good about it. A lot of different little moving parts.” And, thus, a deep lineup gets that much deeper. “I’m just happy to be in the lineup again,” said Happ, who already deflects questions like a grizzled veteran. He also offered up a straight-faced, “I’m just taking it one day at a time.” With both of Saturday’s pitchers -- Chicago’s Arrieta and Milwaukee’s Chase Anderson -- pushed back to Sunday, it’s entirely possible or even likely that we’ll actually get to see this new Cubs lineup in action on Sunday. But whether that happens, you have to wonder if this will be a common Cubs configuration going forward. That wouldn’t be great news for outfielders Jon Jay or Albert Almora. Still, this kind of subtle evolution should be expected of a club that, as we keep reminding you, is still quite young. -- CSNChicago.com Joe Maddon Explains Decision To Move Kyle Schwarber Out Of Leadoff Spot For Cubs By Paul Roumeliotis Kyle Schwarber wasn't in his usual leadoff spot for Saturday's scheduled Cubs-Brewers game, which was postponed due to rain. Manager Joe Maddon released a new lineup with Ben Zobrist hitting first, followed by Schwarber — and the usual Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. It's no secret the Cubs slugger has struggled in the leadoff spot this season. Hitting .182/.305./.351 in 38 games, Schwarber has been looking to find consistency at the plate. Maddon even came to his defense earlier this week when asked whether the slumping Schwarber would continue to hit first in a game against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field. So Maddon's shakeup in the lineup doesn't exactly indicate his lack of confidence in Schwarber, but the Cubs manager does think it could help him get his bat going again. "What I was looking at there was a couple things," Maddon said. "Zo’s been really good lately. We gave him that couple days off and he’s come out real nicely. And (Ian) Happ’s the new Zobrist. In other words he could protect Rizzo.

"The other component I thought we’ve talked a lot about Kyle hitting a lot of balls into the shift. If in fact Zo could get on a little more often, it might move that second baseman out of that spot. I don’t know, it might. So you look at Schwarber’s batting average, even Anthony’s, a lot is impacted by these shifts. "Happ being here pretty much permits me to thinking that way and the fact that he’s done so well. Cause I was always concerned about Zo leaving that spot, but just imagine that today if I put Zo up there and Happ wasn’t there behind Rizzo, what that would look like. I wouldn’t feel as good about it. A lot of different parts. I was thinking about it last night coming into today and I thought it made sense." In 36 games, Zobrist has three homers and 14 RBIs with a .246/.348/.385 slash line this year. Maddon said that Schwarber's move out of the leadoff spot isn't necessarily permanent. "It just depends," Maddon said. "The biggest thing is just to get him untracked a little bit confidence-wise. Started the shift several years ago and a lot of your own guys hate you now. That’s just the fact that they’re hitting into this positioning a lot. So we’ll see. We’ll see how it all plays out." Maddon's lineup had another new/old look. After missing two weeks with a finger injury, Jason Heyward's return to the lineup was put on hold on Saturday. The 27-year-old outfielder was set to bat sixth and play right field. On Thursday, Heyward had a rehab assignment with the South Bend Cubs, where he went 1-for-3 with an RBI single. After the game, Heyward said he felt no pain and was ready to return to the big club. Though it's not official, Tommy La Stella is expected to be optioned to Triple-A Iowa as a corresponding move. --