One of the newest Chicago Cubs is muscling his way into the team’s plans on an indefinite basis
Not that Kris Bryant’s job is in jeopardy, but David Bote is sure making Bryant’s stay on the disabled list a tolerable one for the Chicago Cubs.
The Chicago slugging third baseman has played only 10 games since first being diagnosed with shoulder inflammation in June, being DL’d a second time three weeks ago. In 47 July at bats, he hit a pedestrian .250 with just two home runs.
But Bryant’s injury gave Bote, a six-year minor leaguer, his chance, and the Cubs rookie has thus far cashed it. Since being called up to replace Bryant at third base in late June, Bote has batted .351 with three home runs, his most recent – a ninth-inning grand slam, sinking the Washington Nationals 4-3 before a national TV audience at Wrigley Field Sunday night. Bote has now driven in 13 runs since Bryant’s injury, and his .327/.396/.539 slash line is uniformly better than Bryant’s .276/.380/.474, albeit obviously in fewer plate appearances.
Bote’s pinch-hit grand slam was only the seventh walk-off slam with his team trailing by three runs in major league history, and the first since Houston’s Brian Bogusevic did it against the Cubs on August 16, 2011. But his late-game heroics were becoming old-hat for Bode, whose most recent previous home run was a three-run ninth inning blow two weeks ago against Arizona that tied the game. The Cubs won when Anthony Rizzo followed Bote’s blast with one of his own.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
Social media erupted Sunday night with speculation from delirious Cubs fans about what their team would do with Bote once Bryant returns to the lineup. The one certainty expressed on those platforms: the Cubs could NOT send Bote back to the minors.
For his part, Sunday’s hero refuses to get caught thinking beyond the moment.
“One of the hitting coaches was saying, ‘stay underwater…keep grinding,’” he told MPB.com’s Carrie Muskat after the game. Muskat reported this assessment of Bode from Cubs manager Joe Madden: “It’s going to keep getting better.”
Madden is embracing what to others might be a looming problem of how to divide playing time. Like many of their teammates, Bryant and Bote are both versatile. Bote has already seen time at first and second bases as well as third this season. During his minor league career, he played every position except center field and catcher. Bryant has played first base and outfield as well as third base this season.