Will Javier Baez be on the Chicago Cubs' roster this year? Will he be traded for a starting pitcher at the deadline? Will he be moved to the outfield? All we know is that the Cubs feel he's in a good place right now.
Baez continues to improve his offense at Triple-A Iowa. He's batting .311/.388/.522/.911 with 12 runs scored, 5 home runs, 17 RBIs and 6 stolen bases in 24 games since returning from a leave of absence. Rumors have suggested he could be back in the MLB soon playing somewhere in the middle infield, or that he could be traded as his stock increases with each day he improves.
But what about using him in the outfield?
"Who knows? It wouldn't be surprising if we did see him out there," Cubs senior vice president of scouting and player development Jason McLeod said yesterday, via Carrie Muskat of MLB.com. "No plans are in the works to do that -- I want to make that clear. Because he does have the athleticism and the ability and he's a baseball player, I wouldn't be surprised to see him go out there and be pretty darn good."
The Cubs already have Addison Russell at second base and Starlin Castro at shortstop, so the middle infield is occupied at the moment. Trade rumors have surrounded Castro for quite some time now, but Chicago has been very vague regarding their plans moving forward. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein previously mentioned all three middle infielders can play together at the same time, however, the Cubs do need to upgrade their starting rotation and it's believed they'll be doing that by trading one of them.
Regardless of what happens with Baez, right now it appears the Cubs are in no rush with the 22-year-old as he continues to rebound after a poor 52-game stint with the club last season as well as a terrible offseason and spring training.
"All we're concerned about now is him maintaining this," McLeod added. "He's someone who wants to come up here and help the team win. Those are conversations that take place every day.
"He's on a really good run right now. The mindset is there. He had to deal with a lot in the offseason on a professional level and certainly with what took place with his family. He's in a good place right now."
Chicago has been keen on insisting their young players be versatile. Kris Bryant has taken reps in the outfield, Addison Russell has transitioned to second base in the MLB thus far, and there have been talks of moving prospect catcher Kyle Schwarber to left field.
Baez shifting to the outfield wouldn't be a huge surprise, but right now the Cubs are seemingly taking their time with the youngster because of the struggles he has endured since last August.
