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Undoubtedly, you remember this scary collision in Cincinnati May 2 [VIDEO].
Both Ian Happ, who left the game, and Nico Hoerner spent time on the injured list following that incident. Hoerner was activated Friday and now Happ is returning to the active roster, and infielder Ildemaro Vargas has been designated for assignment.
Happ was not off to a good start offensively, hitting .167/.307/.250 (14-for-84), though he had gone 3-for-5 with a three-run homer in the game where he suffered the injury. He’s in today’s starting lineup in center field:
#Cubs lineup vs #Tigers 5/15 (3:10 CT): Pederson DH, Bryant LF, Baez SS, Rizzo 1B, Duffy 3B, Happ CF, Heyward RF, Sogard 2B, Wolters C
— Al Yellon (@bleedcubbieblue) May 15, 2021
Vargas played in nine games for the Cubs and went 3-for-21 (.143) with two doubles.
The Cubs undoubtedly hope Vargas will clear waivers so he can be assigned to Triple-A Iowa as a “break glass in case of emergency” roster replacement.
By my count, that now leaves an open spot on the Cubs’ 40-man roster. Whether they’ll look around for a waiver claim to fill it, or leave it open for a while, remains to be seen. As always, we await developments.
Today’s game preview will post at 1 p.m. CT.