Latest news with #VidalBruján
Washington Post
3 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Cubs OF Kyle Tucker leaves game against Reds with a jammed finger
CHICAGO — Chicago Cubs slugger Kyle Tucker left Sunday's game against Cincinnati with a jammed right ring finger. Tucker was removed after he fouled out to the catcher for the final out of the fourth inning. He was replaced by Vidal Bruján in right field before Cincinnati batted in the fifth.
Newsweek
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Newsweek
Chicago Cubs Must Improve Third Base Position; Here's How They Can Do It
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Despite having baseball's hardest schedule in April, the Chicago Cubs are going to come out of the month at least three games over .500, and they hold one of the easiest remaining schedules. After a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday, Chicago sits at 17-12 atop the NL Central division. There is one thing still preventing Chicago from being a true contender in the NL, and that is third base. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 18: Vidal Bruján #17 of the Chicago Cubs plays third base during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field on April 18, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois. CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - APRIL 18: Vidal Bruján #17 of the Chicago Cubs plays third base during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Wrigley Field on April 18, 2025 in Chicago, their pursuit of Alex Bregman in the offseason, the Cubs clearly did not feel comfortable with what they were entering the season with at the position. Top prospect Matt Shaw was given the starting job after his performance in spring training and Chicago hoped he would be the answer. That was not the case, and Shaw was optioned to Triple-A Iowa after just 18 games played. Five players have spent time at third base for the Cubs already this season. That list includes Shaw, Gage Workman, Justin Turner, Jon Berti and Vidal Brujan. Those five players have given Chicago the No. 21 spot (-0.3) in Wins Above Average at the third base position. It is not just the offensive struggles that are cause for concern, but the defensive struggles as well. Workman made two errors in just nine total chances, good for a .778 fielding percentage. Brujan made a costly mistake on Sunday that led to a Phillies run in the top of the 10th inning. 'You can argue up and back whether Bruján could have charged that ball and made a different play … He's playing way too deep to do that.'@MLBBruceLevine on the play that led to the Phillies' 2nd run in the 10th. — Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 28, 2025 It is a position that is a clear weakness that Chicago must address before it becomes too late. There are a couple of different ways that the Cubs could approach the situation. The first would be to bring Shaw back up to the major leagues and let him work out his issues. Yes, the struggles at the plate would be tough to look past, but his defense would be levels above anyone else currently playing the position. The second way is to explore the third base trade market. There are a few trades that Chicago could explore to make a splash and massive upgrade at the position. Whatever the final decision is, it is important that the Cubs address the situation sooner rather than later, before it begins to cost them games and potentially even a division championship. More MLB: Phillies Predicted to Target $8.2 Million All-Star Closer in Blockbuster Trade
New York Times
28-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
The Cubs are playing with high hopes once again, which has Craig Counsell smiling
CHICAGO — Craig Counsell could only laugh. Before Sunday's game, I asked him if the Cubs' offensive production so far was at the upper end of his expectations. A smile spread across the manager's face. 'Where do we rank in offense right now?' he said. First in just about everything, I replied. That's when he started chuckling. Advertisement Counsell was in a good mood before a nationally televised game against the Phillies on Sunday night. Later in his pre-game availability, I wondered if being around Kyle Tucker reminded him of sharing a dugout with MVP-caliber guys during his playing days and he cracked, 'Yeah, I mean, you remember it. You remember you're high-fiving them all the time. That's what you're doing.' There's been a lot to smile about and plenty of high-fives to dole out at Wrigley Field lately. But by the end of Sunday, Cubs fans were back to their booing ways when the Cubs lost 3-1 in 10 innings. A 5-3 homestand for the Cubs (17-12) ended on a bit of a down note, but still they took two of three from Arizona and swept a two-game series against the Dodgers before dropping two of three to the Phillies. Since dropping the first two games of the season to the Dodgers in Japan, the Cubs have won six series, lost two and split one. It's a good start and maybe nothing more. But going into Sunday's series finale with the Phillies, they were first in baseball in runs, RBIs, total bases, stolen bases, on-base percentage, hits and triples. They were second in batting average, slugging and OPS, third in walks and doubles and sixth in homers. There's something real there. Now, imagine how good this team would be with Alex Bregman. I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself. But everyone watching Vidal Bruján play that Trea Turner grounder in the 10th probably thought that too. 'You gotta go get that ball.' Craig Counsell on Vidal Bruján's play in the 10th. — Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 28, 2025 No, things aren't perfect with the Cubs, but they're a lot better than they have been. A dark cloud has been hovering over this team since the end of the 2018 season when it coughed up a division lead and lost a tiebreaker and a wild-card game in successive days. The next year, the Cubs missed the playoffs and bade farewell to their World Series-winning manager Joe Maddon. From December 2020 to the end of July 2021, Cubs president Jed Hoyer non-tendered Kyle Schwarber and traded Yu Darvish, Javy Báez, Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo. Advertisement Hopeful fans (and T-shirt companies) were left to pin their faint hopes on the likes of Frank Schwindel and Matt Mervis. The Cubs haven't been back to the playoffs and are coming off consecutive 83-win seasons. For the last few years, we've talked more about the team's restrictive budgets than their World Series dreams. In a lot of ways, this major-market franchise has become a major bummer. Even the Tucker trade was weighted with some negativity because to rent him for a year, Hoyer traded a top prospect. And now with every Tucker hit, fans are worrying about chairman Tom Ricketts not spending the necessary money to keep him after 2025, be it from a monster contract extension or an equally enormous free-agent contract. In a contract year for himself, too, Hoyer put his boss in an interesting spot. Ricketts hasn't shown the stomach to spend anywhere near the levels necessary to acquire top-of-the-market talent, so it's not just cynicism. Given the context, it's an inescapable conversation. The time for Cubs fans to revolt is in the winter. Tucker is on the roster right now and has played even better than advertised, and it's transformed the Cubs' lineup. 'I think the beauty of what he does is he approaches the game from a very simple place as far as his pregame prep and just his attitude,' second baseman Nico Hoerner said. 'I think it takes more confidence to have your work be very simple and minimal, and not showing up every day chasing around some feeling, but just knowing that you're a really good player and rolling that out there every single day. That's kind of the beauty of what he does and part of why he's so consistent.' But it's not just Tucker, who has seven homers and a .976 OPS. The whole lineup is hitting — well, with the exception of Dansby Swanson, the team's big free-agent addition in 2023. Advertisement Swanson's offensive struggles (.181 batting average) have mostly been overlooked because his defense remains stellar and the rest of the lineup has been so potent, including the bottom third, led by Pete Crow-Armstrong and catchers Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly. 'I feel like we've had everyone in our lineup win us a game so far already this year, which is a pretty cool feeling,' Hoerner said. 'The OPS's and season production (go) up and down, but as far as moments where players really change games, we've had guys in the middle of really important situations up and down in the lineup. It's been really impressive.' Now has been more impressive lately than Crow-Armstrong, who is showing star potential in his second full season in the majors. On Sunday night, the crowd chanted 'PCA' in the second inning as he knocked in Hoerner with a double to the wall in right field. Crow-Armstrong's defense in center field made him a fan favorite, but then late last season, he started to hit. He hasn't stopped. With his flair and personality, he could light up Wrigley Field. PCA rips an RBI double to get the @Cubs on the board! (Via @espn) — Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 27, 2025 'I think Pete's ability is to just affect all facets of a game,' Counsell said. 'I don't think there are many players right now in the game that can do it to the level that Pete does. And that's why it's so much fun to watch.' And to think I laughed when an analyst on the team's regional sports network said PCA could be MVP this season. Crow-Armstrong's start is what Hoyer meant when he talked about players outperforming expectations in order for the Cubs to win. 'I think that when you talk about beating projections or overperformance, it usually comes with young players, guys entering those second and third years where they have a chance to take a big step forward,' Hoyer said in spring training. Advertisement In that conversation, Hoyer pointed to PCA, Michael Busch, Matt Shaw and Ben Brown. While Shaw is back in Iowa and Brown is scuffling as a starter, Busch has been raking as well. Going into Sunday, he was slashing .295/.386/.568 with five home runs. He also made a nifty defensive play in the 10th inning on a botched bunt attempt. But there's still the Bregman-sized hole at third base. There's a reason Hoyer sounded so frustrated when Bregman signed with the Red Sox in a deal he couldn't financially match. This team probably doesn't need him to win the NL Central, but to really contend, well, it would've been nice. And right now, the Cubs don't have anyone to play the position every day. After a slow start, rookie third baseman Shaw was sent down to Triple-A Iowa on April 15, and Rule 5 pick Gage Workman was designated for assignment after a bad defensive game against the Dodgers last week. (He has since been sentenced to a stint with the White Sox.) Utility guy Jon Berti has been getting starts at third, and Bruján played there for the second time Sunday. In the 10th, with the Phillies up by a run, bases loaded and two outs, Turner bounced a ball to third, but Bruján was playing at the edge of the dirt. His throw to first wasn't in time, and Philadelphia got the insurance run. Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. Free, daily sports updates direct to your inbox. There are also very real concerns about the team's pitching staff — especially with starter Justin Steele out for the season after elbow surgery. Brown has a 5.96 ERA in five starts. The bullpen has been, well, a bullpen, full of ups and downs. The Cubs have been mixing and matching veterans in the bullpen and recently added veteran Drew Pomeranz, who returned to the majors for the first time since 2021, to pitch in relief. Julian Merryweather, who entered Sunday's game with a 1.74 ERA and just three walks in 10 1/3 innings, walked three in the 10th on Sunday and was pulled for Caleb Thielbar, who got the final out. The Cubs then went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to hit the road for divisional series in Pittsburgh and Milwaukee. Advertisement With such needs at third base and on the pitching staff, it was head-scratching that Hoyer entered the season with a smaller payroll than last year, but presumably — and I'm taking a real leap of faith here — he'll have the money to add veteran players during the summer. Because for all the good vibes now, what Hoyer does this season could mean the difference between being happy about winning the Central with 90 wins and thinking seriously about playing for a pennant. Still, the Cubs find themselves in first place as May beckons, and that's a good thing. With the way they're hitting, it feels like a team that can be relevant all summer and into the fall. Last season, they got off to a similar start before a crippling two-month slump in May and June. Does it feel different his year? Hoerner told me it does. 'It's exciting, but it doesn't feel surprising,' he said. 'It feels like a product of multiple years of improvement and establishing some consistency at the major-league level, while also adding in talent both from our own system and from trades or free agents. You combine all those things and you end up in a place with a lot of really good players in one clubhouse.' It's like the song goes, the Cubs have the power and they have the speed. But can they be the best in the National League? Probably not with the Dodgers and Mets. But maybe they'll be second- or third-best. Even fourth would be a positive step forward. It's a long season. Ask me in October, when the Cubs hope they're still smiling, laughing and high-fiving. (Photo of Pete Crow-Armstrong: Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)
