Swinging hot bat, reserve infielder Pedro Ramirez impressing Cubs with work in limited playing time
ST. LOUIS — The Pedro Ramirez Experience has been a good one for the Cubs.
The young infielder has impressed team brass in his first taste of the big leagues this season, settling nicely into a reserve role.
Ramirez, who was among the Cubs’ highest-rated prospects when the season began, has managed to stay effective while not playing every day.
Entering play Monday, he had a seven-game hit streak during which he was batting .440 and had four multihit performances.
‘‘He’s really handled a lot of these situations really well, like not playing every day, still being productive,’’ manager Craig Counsell said last week. ‘‘And defensively he’s been really good, as well, especially at third base. He’s been excellent. There’s a lot to like.
‘‘For a 22-year-old to come up and play sporadically and be on the bench and still be a contributor, it’s been fun to watch.’’
Limited playing time sometimes can work against a player, and the Cubs have stated their intent to cycle through youngsters such as outfielder Kevin Alcantara, infielder James Triantos and catcher/designated hitter Moises Ballesteros with a different roster spot. Turns in the majors have included — and figure to continue to include — going back down to keep from rusting on the bench.
Ramirez hasn’t rusted, however. He brought a .305 batting average into the game Monday, with an OPS-plus of 122. That means he has been 22% more productive than the average major-league hitter, a group that includes a lot of guys with much more big-league experience.
As the Cubs chart their future — and president Jed Hoyer goes to work ahead of the trade deadline, with young players part of the equation — Ramirez has made a mighty positive first impression.
‘‘We’ve talked about not playing,’’ Counsell said. ‘‘[Before the All-Star break] in Cincinnati, we were in a stretch where he wasn’t playing that much. . . . It’s the first time it’s ever happened to him. For guys like Pedro — you’re 22, you’re in the big leagues already — you have never not come to the field and [wondered whether] you’re in the lineup. You play every day.
‘‘We had a good conversation about that. But he understands all that. He’s got a really good frame of reference for it. His work on those types of things has been the right kind of work. He’s just kind of ahead of it. He’s ahead of how you approach situations, and that’s really impressive.’’
Cabrera’s comeback
Right-hander Edward Cabrera is nearing a minor-league rehab assignment on his way back from a strained hamstring that has kept him out for a month.
Cabrera will pitch Friday for Triple-A Iowa in the first of three planned rehab outings. Should all go well, he figures to return to the rotation in the middle of August.
While getting Cabrera back will be a big deal for a pitching staff still dealing with the effects of an avalanche of injuries, he has yet to deliver the type of results the Cubs hoped he would when they acquired him in an offseason trade with the Marlins. He has a 5.10 ERA in 14 starts.
Rhymes with ‘pants’
The Cubs called up reliever Andrew Wantz from Iowa after designating veteran righty Jameson Taillon for assignment.
Wantz joined the Cubs at the start of June after he was let go by the Rays. He had some good seasons with the Angels, posting a 3.85 ERA in three seasons (2021-23).
He had a 4.32 ERA in 25 innings spanning seven outings for Iowa.
The first of four games this week between the Cubs and the division-rival Cardinals started in a delay with storms in the St. Louis area.
Baker, who managed the Cubs for four seasons (2003-06), is among the candidates who will be up for election at the end of the year.
The Cubs cut their longest-tenured active pitcher loose Monday, with the veteran right-hander failing produce for a team in the thick of a playoff race.