Cubs promote Addison Russell to big leagues
It looks like Kris Bryant’s call-up was just the start of prospect mania on the North Side. The Chicago Cubs, eyeing a run in the NL Central, are calling up their next hotshot prospect, 21-year-old infielder Addison Russell.
The news was first reported by CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman and confirmed by our Jeff Passan, who notes the Cubs (7-5 after winning Monday night) will initially move Russell out of his natural position to better fit their needs:
Russell ranked as Baseball America’s No. 3 prospect coming into the 2015 season. Bryant was No. 1 and Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins was No. 2. Russell was the No. 5 overall prospect on MLB.com’s list.
Russell was expected to reach the big leagues in 2015, but not exactly this fast. His acceleration is in part because second baseman Javier Baez didn’t make the big-league roster out of spring training and has been away from the Triple-A team since the start of the season because of the death of his sister. The Cubs recently shifted Russell to second base in the minors, signaling a change like this might be in his future.
Part two of Russell’s rocket ride to the big leagues is because of his prodigal talent — he’s good defensively, hits for average and has impressive bat speed with surprising power. He hit .317 in spring training with the Cubs, and has posted a .318 average in Triple-A with a homer and nine RBIs in 11 games.
The Cubs acquired Russell in their trade last July with the Oakland Athletics, in which Jeff Samardzija was sent to the Bay Area. That trade made the Cubs rich with young talent. Now they’re looking to cash in.
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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
