CHICAGO — Cubs left fielder Ian Happ was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain on Tuesday, with the team calling up hot-hitting prospect Moises Ballesteros to take his place on the roster.
Happ, 30, injured himself on a swing in New York on Friday. He finished the game but hasn’t played since. He went through a workout Monday, but the team decided to slow down his recovery, expecting minimal missed time.
“He got through it but was a little cautious, essentially,” manager Craig Counsell said Tuesday. “This way we feel like we can give him 4-5 days off here and start ramping up activity at the end of the weekend and have a shot at this being a minimum stay.”
Happ is hitting .269 with a .364 on-base percentage as the team’s leadoff man. Center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has taken over those duties in Happ’s absence.
Ballesteros, 21, is hitting .368 at Triple-A Iowa and becomes an intriguing player for Chicago. He’s still working his way through the minors as a catcher, though he’ll almost strictly see time as the designated hitter while Happ is on the mend.
While his long-term major league position is still up in the air, Ballesteros’ ability to hit is not in doubt.
“I think he has a gift to hit,” Counsell said of Ballesteros, who is rated as the Cubs’ second-best prospect in the latest rankings by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel. “That’s what his real skill is. You can’t help but take notice.”
Ballesteros is arguably the organization’s best hitting prospect, posting a career .371 on-base percentage in five minor league seasons. He was signed out of Venezuela as a 17-year old in 2021.
“I’m really excited with my family here,” said Ballesteros, who is batting seventh against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. “It’s a new experience. It’s a new stadium but it’s the same goals.”
Ballesteros was playing MLB The Show on Monday when his minor league manager called to inform him that he was getting called up. His parents were already visiting from Venezuela but now get to watch him in Chicago instead of Iowa.
“He’s been the youngest player on his team for his whole career and he’s been one of the better hitters,” Counsell said. “That’s impressive.”
To make room for Ballesteros on the 40-man roster, the team transferred pitcher Tyson Miller to the 60-day injured list. Miller has been recovering from a hip injury but had a setback after getting hit in his calf during a rehab outing.
“It’s going to set him back,” Counsell said. “He’s not going to be able to pitch.”
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