The Chicago Cubs have won 20 of their last 24 games and lead the San Francisco Giants by six games for the second NL wild-card spot. In one week the MLB rosters will expand to 40 players and one Cubs' prospect is likely to get the call to help the team's playoff push.
Javier Baez has been the subject of such rumors ever since the offseason. His 52-game stint with Chicago last year wasn't exactly a success and he struggled throughout the offseason in the Puerto Rican League and spring training.
Manager Joe Maddon lobbied for Baez to make the Opening Day roster, but the 22-year-old continued to struggle at the plate and in the field and then returned home to Puerto Rico in April after his younger sister passed away.
Baez then missed about a month and a half with a broken finger he suffered in early June. Prior to suffering that injury, he was batting .314/.386/.536 with 19 runs scored, 8 home runs, 29 RBIs and 7 stolen bases in 37 games with Triple-A Iowa.
He's currently hitting .315/.383/.542 with 44 runs scored, 13 home runs, 57 RBIs and 16 stolen bases in 63 games this season and has shown much better consistency on both sides of the ball. With that being said, Chicago could use an everyday second baseman at this point.
"The Cubs are currently maneuvering through several injuries, including Jorge Soler's trip to the disabled list with an oblique injury," writes Patrick Mooney of CSN Chicago.
"The team called up second baseman Tommy La Stella (who actually started at second on Opening Day) Monday to replace Soler's spot, but the question still remains on Baez...
"He has been especially hot lately, hitting .421 with a 1.003 OPS and eight RBI in his last eight games."
The youngster still has the approval of Maddon.
"Baez is doing well," Maddon told Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com. "The point with him is to have him continue to do well. Just because a guy starts to do well doesn't mean he has to be called up immediately. He's still learning his craft. I think he's getting better with his swing. The reports we're getting back are all good. His time is coming. He's definitely on our radar screen."
While Maddon indicated there's no plan to call up Baez right now, it's clear he's one of the top candidates to join the MLB roster one week from today.
And if he plays well in September then Starlin Castro will have even less of a role with the Cubs, which will spur even more trade rumors.