Chicago Cubs To Call Up High Profile Prospect Addison Russell

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The Chicago Cubs will  call up second base prospect Addison Russell to the Major Leagues tomorrow, before their game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The news comes as a shock to many around the baseball universe, as the Cubs just called up prospect phenom Kris Bryant days before.

Like Bryant, Russell will likely fill in as a starter for the Cubs at second base, pushing Arismendy Alcantara into a utility role.  This move will only deepen the Cubs’ positional depth, an area in which the Cubs are already deep in, and will likely leave Jonathan Herrera or Welington Castillo off the 25 man roster.

Expect Russell to be batting in the beginning of the lineup during tomorrow’s games. A good lineup switch would be moving Jorge Soler down and allowing Russell to hit in the #2 hole, a spot that he is already comfortable at batting in as he did so in Double-A Tennessee and Triple-A Iowa. The 21-year old shortstop batted .314 with a homer and seven RBIs to begin the season in Iowa.

Not only is this big news due to the mega prospect that Russell is, (MLB.com’s #5 prospect) but it also gives the Chicago Cubs major options going forward. The Cubs could easily designate for assignment (DFA) Jonathan Herrera, due to his limited versatility to play other positions other than second base and shortstop. Another option would be for third string catcher Welington Castillo. Trading Castillo would open up the probability of keeping Herrera. Either way, not only does Russell stretch the lineup for the Cubs, but also gives the team another viable piece to add to their team, assuming Welington Castillo and/or Jonathan Herrera  get taken off the roster.

In addition, don’t worry Cubs fans, Russell has been playing second base for the Iowa Cubs in the previous couple of games and should be well acquainted there by now. Russell’s debut comes on April 21st against the Pittsburgh Pirates and starter Francisco Liriano.