The Cubs are really pulling out all the stops early in the season. With Anthony Rizzo due to make his return off the DL for the Cardinals series which begins on Monday, the team is evaluating every option at first base in the event Rizzo’s back issues are more serious than they appear.
And by pulling out all the stops, I mean having super stars take some reps at first base.
Kris Bryant, coach Brian Butterfield and strength coach Tim Buss doing some early work at 1B now. #Cubs
— Carrie Muskat (@CarrieMuskat) April 13, 2018
While this may shock some, this would not be the first time Kris Bryant has manned first base. Since his time with the Cubs, he’s played 12 games at first base and while that’s not an overwhelming number, it’s very different than if he was brand new to the position.
The Cubs were very aware at their lack of depth at first base during Spring Training when they were giving first base reps to a couple of different players (most notably Ben Zobrist and Victor Caratini) so when Rizzo went to the DL early in 2018, the Cubs were prepared to attempt to fill the void at first.
To be honest, I don’t really know what to think about the move. Is this a way for the team to move some pieces around and have another player to give them depth at first? Is Rizzo’s back a bigger issue than we think? Or is this Joe Maddon’s way of shifting players around to try and create the best lineup if Rizzo misses significant time?
I don’t know.
What I do know, however, is if there is one player that I’d want to try to fill Rizzo’s void, it’s his partner in crime, Kris Bryant.
Keep a close eye on this one Cubs fans.
