Jason

Kipnis

The 35-year-old infielder played 10 seasons in the big leagues -- the first nine of those with the Guardians and then one final season with the Cubs during the truncated 2020 season. Kipnis slashed .260/.333/.416 over 4,984 plate appearances in his career, blasting 126 home runs and stealing 136 bases along the way. Best of luck to Kipnis in the next chapter of his life.

Kipnis signed a minor-league deal with the Braves last spring and wound up spending the entire 2021 campaign at Triple-A Gwinnett, hitting .290/.390/.518 with 36 runs scored, 10 home runs, 32 RBI and one stolen base across 228 plate appearances in 59 games. The 34-year-old veteran infielder will likely be forced to settle for another minor-league deal this offseason if he wants to compete for a big-league roster spot next spring.

Kipnis was released over the weekend so the Braves didn’t have to pay him a $100,000 retention bonus, but he’s now back in the organization and will report to their alternate training site. He’s fine to have as depth, but the Braves could be in trouble if he has to play too much.

Kipnis was edged out by Ehire Adrianza and Pablo Sandoval for the final spots on the Braves’ Opening Day roster as a reserve infielder. The 33-year-old veteran second baseman, who hit .240/.296/.400 across 11 games this spring, should be able to find another opportunity, but could end up having to open the 2021 campaign waiting for an opportunity at the Triple-A level.

The Jake Lamb signing means that Kipnis is probably auditioning for other teams right now. He could still make the Braves if someone gets hurt or with the long shot possibility of a Johan Camargo demotion, but he still presumably wouldn’t have much of a role.

Kipnis announced the news himself on social media on Monday afternoon, though Jon Heyman of MLB Network added the confirmation of a camp invite. Kipnis turns 34 in April and batted .237/.341/.404 with three homers over 135 plate appearances with the Cubs last season. He’ll have his eyes on a utility role in the spring.

Unsurprisingly, the Cubs are sticking with the same lineup they planned to use Thursday before the game was rained out. Caratini caught every one of Yu Darvish’s starts this season, so it’s no surprise he’s behind the plate in this one. Willson Contreras is in the designated hitter spot, while David Bote will get the start at second base. The Cubs’ full lineup looks like this: Ian Happ CF, Anthony Rizzo 1B, Contreras DH, Kyle Schwarber LF, Kris Bryant 3B, Jason Heyward RF, Javier Baez SS, Bote 2B, Caratini C.

Jason Kipnis will sit with the Marlins throwing right-hander Sixto Sanchez. The full Game 2 lineup for the Cubs, who are trying to avoid elimination: Ian Happ CF, Anthony Rizzo 1B, Willson Contreras DH, Kyle Schwarber LF, Kris Bryant 3B, Jason Heyward RF, Javier Baez SS, David Bote 2B, Victor Caratini C. Yu Darvish is on the bump.

Kipnis was a nice surprise for the Cubs at the beginning of the year, but the early production didn’t last for long. He’s still playing against most right-handers anyway, largely because Nico Hoerner has struggled to get anything going offensively. We’re not so sure David Bote wouldn’t be the Cubs’ best option at second base right now.

It’s a day off for Baez, who is hitless in his last 16 at-bats. Nico Hoerner will cover shortstop and Jason Kipnis will be at second base.