The Chicago Cubs have made the decision to recall center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong from AAA Iowa. PCA will rejoin the MLB club on Thursday and play center field against the Milwaukee Brewers. The Cubs are also sending Luis Vazquez back down to Iowa to make room on the roster.
PCA has absolutely surged since being sent back down to Iowa after about a month with the Cubs in Chicago. His heater included a stretch of three home runs and ten runs batted in in five days. It felt like every time he went up to the plate, he was planning to send a message to both the opposing team and the Cubs front office. His messaging (and play) worked, and he is now back up in Chicago.
Manager Craig Counsell spoke to the media prior to Thursday’s game in Milwaukee about PCA’s return to the Cubs and their roster. He said that while he may not play every day, he will play center field when he does. This means that Cody Bellinger will see playing time elsewhere, like at first base or as a designated hitter.
The move to send PCA down to Iowa was done so he could see more live-action and have more at-bats. If the Cubs are bringing him back, that means they have a plan for those at-bats to happen with them in Chicago. So, is there an odd man out of the current lineup? Possibly.
With PCA, Cubs Can Give Michael Busch A Chance To Reset
When Pete Crow-Armstrong plays, he will be in center field defensively for the Cubs. His speed and awareness are plentiful enough to move Cody Bellinger out of the way. But Bellinger is versatile, and he is a gold-glove caliber first baseman himself. Expect his time at first to increase significantly. That means Michael Busch may be the odd man out, just for the time being.
Busch launched his eighth home run of the year on Tuesday night in Milwaukee, but he’s still struggling to produce offensively as of late. He started the year on a legendary run, homering in six straight games on the Cubs’ West Coast trip in April. But over the last 30 days, Busch is batting just .217 with seven extra-base hits.
Bellinger may have found a way to turn the corner himself. In the last seven days, he is batting .391 and has struck out just twice in 23 at-bats. His bat will almost certainly stay in the lineup, no matter where the Cubs play him on or off the field.
If the Cubs are able to sit Busch for a few days (like they’ve done with Ian Happ recently) to help him readjust and reset, it could be highly beneficial for both sides. Busch has had to make adjustments his whole career. A couple of extra days of rest in the next week or two could bring him back to the batter we saw to begin the 2024 campaign.
