CHICAGO -- Moisés Ballesteros impressed the Cubs last season with his advanced approach to hitting, stepping in during a late-season playoff push and looking the part of a dangerous hitter. That continued for the first month of this season, when the rookie cracked the Opening Day roster as Chicago’s primary designated hitter.
More recently, Ballesteros has run into the kind of struggles typical for a young player in the Majors, and playing time has become sporadic amid some recent roster developments. It added up to the Cubs’ decision on Friday morning to option Ballesteros to Triple-A Iowa to get regular playing time as he looks to regain his offensive rhythm.
“He went through a whole bunch of phases in a pretty quick period of time,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said prior to the opener against the Blue Jays at Wrigley Field. “I think that’s fairly normal for a young player, too. He’s a talented hitter. He’s 22 years old. He’s done some very good things in the league quickly already, so there’s a good player there. And sometimes you’ve got to go through some struggles to get there.”
The Cubs recalled outfielder Justin Dean from Triple-A Iowa to fill the vacated roster spot, but Counsell noted that his duties will involve a more specific bench role. The manager said that the fleet-footed Dean will “mostly” be used as a pinch-runner, while offering depth behind the Cubs’ main outfield group.
Also factoring into the decision with Ballesteros is the fact that Counsell is currently using Seiya Suzuki in the DH slot, as the right fielder continues to bounce back from a right knee issue that flared on Saturday in San Francisco. Suzuki will likely DH through the weekend before a potential return to the outfield for the next series on the road against the Mets.
With Suzuki in the DH slot, Counsell has been leaning on utility man Matt Shaw in right field. Shaw entered Friday batting .429 (6-for-14) in six games since returning from the injured list due to a back issue. Counsell has wanted to get Shaw more involved in the lineup -- another domino that has reduced Ballesteros’ playing time.
And once Suzuki is ready to resume manning right field, Counsell said the DH situation will likely be a rotation of players.
“In general, Matt’s certainly making a case for playing time,” Counsell said. “But I think we have some other players, too. I think our choices at DH are a little muddled right now. There’s no clear-cut DH, necessarily, when everybody’s healthy. And so, it’s a place we’re going to mix and match with it.”
Ballesteros was also not hitting at a level that warranted him garnering everyday at-bats in the DH slot, either.
Through 59 games overall, Ballesteros has hit .231 with six homers, six doubles, 23 RBIs and a .687 OPS for the Cubs this season. He turned in a .387/.435/.710 slash line in his first 25 games this year, but has since put up a .128/.217/.170 showing in his 34 most recent games, dating back to April 28.
And while Ballesteros has mostly been used as a DH, the Cubs have given him more exposure to catching behind the team’s top options, Carson Kelly and Miguel Amaya. Counsell said the team has liked some of what it has seen from Ballesteros behind the plate, so giving him more innings there in the Minors right now could be beneficial.
“I think his game instincts are very good,” Counsell said. “I think that’s something we were really pleased [about]. He handled the in-game situations of catching in the Major Leagues very easily, so no concerns there. Just continue to work on his receiving -- that’s probably the thing he’s going to continue to [improve on].”
Counsell brushed off the notion that Ballesteros might need this stint back with Triple-A Iowa to get his confidence back up.
“Moisés is a confident kid,” Counsell said. “He’s a confident player and he’s a confident hitter. And he should be.”