Cubs Ramirez To DL?

by Eli Greenspan on Apr 29, 2009 6:30 PM EDT Comment 3 comments

Aramis Ramirez took batting practice today, but was unable to accelerate and is likely heading to the disabled list. "He couldn't accelerate at all," Piniella said. "I think the plan is we're going to wait until Thursday and have him run again in Chicago. If it's not any better by then, we're going to have to weigh all our options. We don't have any infielders." Ramirez, who is hitting .358 with 3 HR in 53 at-bats this season, will likely be replaced by Bobby Scales from Triple-A.

The Cubs would be smart to call up Jake Fox instead. Nothing against Scales, but Fox offers the Cubs a power bat that they are missing. While he doesn't play third base, he can play left, right, and first base. He can also serve as an emergency catcher if needed. He is hitting .446 with 12 HR in 74 at-bats, with 31 RBI and 9 extra-base hits.

Another option would be to call up a pitcher, because the Cubs bullpen has been struggling lately. Both Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg had no command of their pitches in today's game against the Diamondbacks, and they might want to call up a fresh arm for the weekend series versus Florida. A couple options for them include Jose Ascanio (0.54 ERA, 14 K), Greg Reinhard (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 games), or Jeff Stevens (0.00 ERA, 8 K, 7 games). Expect a roster move to be made Thursday afternoon or Friday morning.

This story was approved by MLB Rumors.

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