Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season. |
CHICAGO -- While Moisés Ballesteros was on the phone Monday night, receiving the news that he was being promoted to the Major Leagues, his father was standing nearby listening to his son speak. They had dreamed of this moment, but that they were together was a small miracle. Ballesteros’ parents, Harry and Andry, had arrived in the United States on Monday evening from Venezuela after two years of working to secure visas with assistance from the Cubs. They were staying in Ballesteros’ living room in Iowa, fully expecting to finally see their son play professionally for the first time in person at Triple-A. “He told me when I was young he knew he'd watch me play pro ball,” Ballesteros said on Wednesday. “And then the opportunity to watch me for the first time in pro ball was in the big leagues.”
Ballesteros’ parents and his younger brother were in the stands at Wrigley Field for his Major League debut in Tuesday’s 5-4 walk-off win over the Marlins. The 21-year-old catching prospect -- No. 4 on Pipeline’s Cubs list and No. 61 in the Top 100 rankings -- was slotted into the seventh spot of manager Craig Counsell’s lineup as the designated hitter.
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One day earlier, Ballesteros welcomed his parents to Des Moines around 5 p.m. CT after their journey from their native Venezuela. The phone call from Triple-A Iowa manager Marty Pevey arrived around 10:30 p.m., while Ballesteros was playing MLB The Show and his parents were doing laundry and winding down for the night. Ballesteros joked that the emotions in that moment nearly made him throw his controller and then he felt in shock for a few minutes. Then, he got to tell his parents in person that the Cubs needed him in Chicago and they had to pack for the airport. “My dad was listening when I was on the phone. And then the house was silent,” Ballesteros said. “And then he cried and my mom was really happy. It was a special moment.” The Cubs selected Ballesteros’ contract after left fielder Ian Happ landed on the 10-day injured list due to a left oblique strain. The young catcher was slashing .368/.420/.522 with four homers, seven doubles, 18 RBIs and 12 walks in 34 games with Iowa and is getting a chance to show that his bat can play in the big leagues. |
Ballesteros went 0-for-4 in his debut but acknowledged after the game that he was battling some nerves. At breakfast with his parents on Wednesday morning, his dad pointed out that he was too far out front on some pitches. Throughout his life, Ballesteros said his father has been there to encourage him. “On bad days, he’d tell me, don’t hang my head, keep my head up every time,” Ballesteros said. “He told me every day was a new opportunity to play better.” There will be plenty of games ahead for Ballesteros, who will never forget how this latest chapter of his career began. “It was really good for me to have my family with me here, watching me play,” he said. “I was really excited, and it’s a special moment for my dad and my mom.” |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
HAPP HOPING TO RETURN SOON |
Happ went through a full pregame workout on Monday, doing some running, playing catch and testing his side with some swings in the cage. It was that last activity that convinced the veteran outfielder that a trip to the 10-day IL was the appropriate step at this point of the season. “I felt like it was the right thing to do so there wasn’t a larger portion of the season missed,” Happ said on Wednesday. Happ initially felt his left oblique injury flare on a swing in his first at-bat against the Mets on Friday in New York. He then sat out the next three games before the Cubs officially placed him on the IL, retroactive to Saturday, and selected Ballesteros’ contract. Happ said he will hold off on swinging for a few days before beginning to ramp up activity, hopefully, by this weekend. The discomfort has lingered on swings, but he has been able to continue running and throwing without issues. The Cubs’ leadoff man and left fielder will be eligible to return on May 20 at the earliest. “You have a lot of confidence in the group,” Happ said, “that there’s the ability for us to shuffle around and still be really effective. I’m doing everything I can to be out there and supporting these guys and helping in any way I can. Filling up waters or whatever that is. I’m just trying to get myself right so I can get back.” |
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With the Crosstown Classic looming this weekend, do you know which Cubs batter boasts the most career home runs against the White Sox? A. Sammy Sosa B. Willson Contreras C. Aramis Ramirez D. Kyle Schwarber |
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• Justin Turner shook off tough start with walk-off winner vs. the Marlins. Read more >> • MLB.com’s Jason Beck on Javier Báez’s resurgence in Detroit. Read more >> • MLB.com’s Jim Callis redrafts the 2015 class a decade later. Read more >> • The Pipeline crew gives the Top 100 list a makeover. Read more >> |
"You feel that energy starting to build. As a player, it’s the kind of energy that doesn’t make you nervous. It makes you excited about what could happen -- the excitement of what’s possible and how fun that would be if we made this happen. And sometimes it doesn’t, but it did tonight, and it was a blast.” -- Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner, on the feeling inside Wrigley Field in the moments before Tuesday night’s walk-off win |
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C. Aramis Ramirez During his Cubs career, Ramirez belted 13 home runs against the White Sox. The former third baseman was a real thorn in the side of the South Siders, slashing .302/.371/.662 in 38 games against the local rival as a Cub. Sosa is second on this list with 11 homers, followed by Contreras and Alfonso Soriano with eight apiece. |
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