The Chicago Cubs have recalled infielder Nick Madrigal from AAA Iowa ahead of Friday night's game against the San Francisco Giants, optioning Miles Mastrobuoni to Iowa in a corresponding roster move.
The Cubs, now 26-36, will look to bounce back against the Giants in the Bay Area this weekend after getting swept by the Los Angeles Angels in a three-game set.
Madrigal will hope to continue his torrid pace at Iowa in the big leagues, something that has yet to happen on a consistent basis in the 26-year-old's career.
In 11 games with the Iowa Cubs, Madrigal is putting up video game numbers with a .488 batting average, 10 extra-base hits and a 1.434 OPS.
On the North Side so far in 2023, Madrigal has hit for a paltry .247/.286/.301 offensive line with just four extra-base hits and two stolen bases.
Despite tough offensive play, Madrigal has been worth 0.3 defensive WAR to the big league team, giving the Cubs another option at both 2B and 3B in any given lineup.
As for Mastrobuoni, the utility man will spend another stint at Iowa after another underwhelming stretch in Chicago.
Through 25 games, Mastrobuoni is just nine-for-56 with eight walks and five stolen bases, though he has appeared at five different positions defensively thus far.
The defensive versatility has not fully equated to greater defensive production, with Mastrobuoni posting replacement-level metrics with the glove thus far in 2023.
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The Cubs will take on the Giants at Oracle Park tonight at 9:15 p.m. local time.
