Cubs roster move: Nick Madrigal recalled, Miles Mastrobuoni optioned

Nick Madrigal was sent to Triple-A Iowa May 25 when Kyle Hendricks was activated from the injured list.

Madrigal, who got sporadic playing time with the Cubs, did nothing but rake for Iowa. In 11 games there he batted .488/.580/.854 (20-for-41) with six doubles, three triples, a home run, eight walks and 14 runs scored.

Hopefully, that will translate back to the major leagues, where Madrigal hit .317/.358/.406 in 83 games with the White Sox before he was acquired by the Cubs in the Craig Kimbrel trade in July 2021. Madrigal will be in tonight’s starting lineup, playing second base and leading off, as Nico Hoerner gets the night off. In 34 games for the Cubs this year, Madrigal has hit .247/.286/.301 (23-for-93) with three doubles and a triple.

Miles Mastrobuoni has struggled with the Cubs, batting .161/.266/.196 (9-for-56) in 25 games with 17 strikeouts. In previous stints with Iowa this year Mastrobuoni has batted .291/.494/.455 (16-for-55) with five doubles, two triples, 22 walks, six stolen bases and 17 runs scored.

It might be that these two players thrive only when they’re playing every day and not well suited to bench play. It’ll be interesting to see how David Ross tries to get some regular playing time for Madrigal.

As always, we await developments.