Thanks to their doubleheader against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, the Chicago Cubs had an extra roster spot available, and they decided to use it on one of their top prospects.
That prospect is infielder Jeimer Candelario, who was called up by the team on Tuesday morning. Candelario, who is hitting .340 with four home runs and 22 RBI in 28 games with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, will serve as the 26th man on the roster for the doubleheader, which gets underway on Tuesday afternoon.
Ranked as one of the top prospects in the Cubs’ system along with Ian Happ, Candelario has briefly played in the majors before, getting 11 at-bats with the Cubs last season. He had just one hit during that stint, but he also coaxed two walks and showed a solid eye at the plate in his limited action.
This season, Candelario has been continuing to work on his approach at the plate, and it’s paying dividends. He has an incredible .443 on-base percentage so far in Iowa, and he also has racked up 12 doubles in just 115 plate appearances with the team.
According to MLB rules, a team can add a 26th player to their 25-man roster in the event of a doubleheader. The Cubs have opted to add a position player, as their roster stood at 14 pitchers and 11 position players after Jason Heyward was placed on the disabled list on Monday night.
The team called up pitcher Dylan Floro to replace him, as they were looking for extra bullpen help after an 18-inning game against the New York Yankees on Sunday night.
It’s unclear whether Candelario will be available for the first game of the day, but there’s a strong chance that he’ll play in the second game. First pitch for the first game in Colorado is scheduled for 1:10 p.m., with the second game scheduled to start at 7:40 p.m.
