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Cubs veteran utility man Ben Zobrist remains on track to return to the big leagues on Sept. 1, and maybe even a day or two sooner.
Zobrist played with the Double-A Smokies Thursday night and had a good game, going 1-for-2, and walking three times and scoring two runs. Now, he’s at Triple-A, where he’ll play on Friday and Saturday. As long as he stays healthy Zobrist is expected in to come back against the Brewers next weekend.
The Cubs begin a three-game series against the Brewers on Aug. 30 at Wrigley Field.
When Zobrist does return, Joe Maddon is going to have plenty of options at second base. By Sept. 1, Zobrist will join Ian Happ, David Bote, Tony Kemp, Addison Russell, Daniel Descalso and maybe even Robel Garcia as potential second baseman.
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Right now, Happ is getting the majority of the starts at second, as he continues to have a nice showing at the plate.
Zobrist last played on May 7, and didn’t return to action until three weeks ago. So, at this point it’d be pretty unfair to expect him to return and be an everyday starter. Yet, he’s not coming back to just be a cheerleader in the dugout. He’ll play and hopefully Zobrist will go out on a high note with the Cubs.
As for Cubs catcher Willson Contreras, the two-time All-Star is progressing from his hamstring injury that’s kept him out since Aug. 3. He’s been doing some exercises on the field and it looks like the Cubs are optimistic that Contreras will get back to baseball activities next week.
If there aren’t any setbacks or the Cubs feel Contreras doesn’t have to take it really slow, then there’s a chance he goes out on a rehab assignment next weekend.
One last thing. Take a look at the Iowa Cubs lineup for tonight.
The first five batters, Albert Almora Jr., Ben Zobrist, David Bote, Daniel Descalso and Mark Zagunis were all on the Cubs Opening Day roster, while Robel Garcia and Taylor Davis, who are also in the lineup, were called up by the Cubs this season.
Oh and the starting pitcher Adbert Alzolay also made his MLB debut with the Cubs earlier this year too.
