Cubs roster move: Ben Zobrist to DL, David Bote recalled

Ben Zobrist missed the first couple of weeks of spring training with back issues, but eventually came back and played in 13 spring training games. He hit just .206/.308/.353 in spring games (7-for-34), but hit the ground running once the season started.

In 13 regular-season games Zobrist is hitting .326/.408/.465 (14-for-43) with a home run. But he hasn’t played since the frigid April 14 game against the Braves.

Now, suffering from the same back problems that kept him out during spring training, Zobrist is going on the disabled list, retroactive to April 18:

Presuming the rest helps him enough, he will be eligible to return to the active roster shortly after the Cubs return to Wrigley Field to begin a seven-game homestand against the Brewers and Rockies next Thursday, April 26.

Recalled from Triple-A Iowa is David Bote. Bote’s a great story. He was the Cubs’ 18th-round pick in 2012 and before 2016 was seen as just an organizational guy. But in 2016 he hit .328/.399/.492 combined between Myrtle Beach, Tennessee and Iowa and when he continued hitting in 2017, the Cubs sent him to the Arizona Fall League last October, where he hit .333/.395/.536 with four home runs.

That got him placed on the 40-man roster, and he continued to hit in spring training. He turned 25 two weeks ago, and now has a shot at a decent major-league career. He’s played all four infield positions as well as left field and right field.

Good luck to Bote when he likely makes his big-league debut sometime during this road trip.