The Rundown: Happy Kris Bryant Day, Olt Likely to DL, Addison Russell Collects 3 Hits Playing Second Base

Photo of Bryan O'Donnell Bryan O'DonnellApril 17, 2015

The day we have all been waiting for, Kris Bryant Day is upon us. Seemed like it took forever, but it was only 12 days.

Finally all the annoying “the Cubs aren’t committed to winning because they didn’t call up Kris Bryant” noise can cease. That noise can now turn to the celebratory kind.

I’m planning on heading to the game today, so I’m hoping for at least four home runs from him. Not too much to ask.

To make room on the 25-man roster, the Cubs reportedly will place Mike Olt on the disabled list. I expect to hear another roster move today regarding RHP Neil Ramirez, who had an MRI yesterday. Barring some sort of miracle, he’s likely heading to the DL as well.

So, where will Bryant bat in the lineup? Just a guess, but I’ll say the lineup looks something like this tomorrow:

Fowler
Soler
Rizzo
Bryant
Coghlan
Castro
Montero
Hammel
Alcantara

The young season has already been a blast but it’s about to get even better.

So now we get to wonder…

Now that Kris Bryant is here, how long do we have to wait before Addison Russell is in Chicago?

Going in to this offseason, I would’ve been very excited if Russell was a September call-up in 2015. But with the Jon Lester signing and Joe Maddon acquisition, things have changed a bit.

I don’t think a call-up will occur for at least a couple months. My guess is sometime around the All-Star break or early August.

Of course, an injury to another infielder could accelerate things as well.

Interestingly, Russell played second base for Triple-A Iowa last night. Oh, and all he did was go 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. He’s hitting a cool .355/.364/.516.

Other notes

* Another Iowa-based Russell — James — recorded a one-out save last night, as the I-Cubs won 10-7. Through two appearances since coming over from the Braves, Russell hasn’t given up a run. I could definitely see him up in Chicago at some point this season — especially if the injury bug continues to hit the Cubs bullpen.

* C.J. Edwards pitched in relief for Double-A Tennessee last night, giving up two runs on two hits and two walks over 1.2 innings. Deuces were wild, as he also struck out two.

* This is pretty neat: The “W” in the Wintrust ad on top of the new video board will be lit up after Cubs wins.

 

Photo of Bryan O'Donnell Bryan O'DonnellApril 17, 2015
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