Pedro

Ramirez

Ramírez has gone 4-for-16 with one RBI in 17 plate appearances over eight games since being called up from Triple-A Iowa last month. The 22-year-old rookie gets a look at the keystone with Nico Hoerner sliding over to shortstop with Dansby Swanson getting a rare day off.

Ballesteros, who is hitting .105 (4-for-38) with one RBI over his last 15 games, sits for the third consecutive contest and fourth time in Chicago’s last five games. Pedro Ramírez gets into the lineup at the hot corner with Alex Bregman taking a turn at DH after Kevin Alcánatara drew back-to-back starts at DH earlier this week.

Lefties are hitting .336/.416/.555 against Kyle Leahy, but the Cubs still couldn’t find any room for the switch-hitting Ramírez today. Michael Conforto is on the bench, too, as the Cubs are starting Moisés Ballesteros at DH rather than give up some defense by having him catch. Ramirez has started two of the Cubs’ nine games since being recalled last week, but that’s still better than Kevin Alcántara; he’s yet to get a start in eight games with the team.

It qualifies as a notable development that the Cubs are sticking with Ballesteros at DH while he continues to scuffle at the dish, instead of giving top prospects like Pedro Ramírez or Kevin Alcántara an opportunity. The 22-year-old slugging backstop is hitting .077 (3-for-39) over his last 15 games. He was outstanding in the first month of the season, but he’s clearly struggling at the dish right now. It feels like only a matter of time before Chicago gives Ramírez or Alcántara a look.

The 86-mph double to right-center looked like an out off the bat, but center fielder Jake Meyers had him played to pull and wound up having to run a long way before coming up just short on a diving attempt. Before drawing the start at second today, Ramírez had just one at-bat in his first two days on the Cubs’ roster. It’s hard to see a path to significant playing time here without an injury, but he’d be interesting as a starting infielder.

Chicago has decided to jettison Lopez after the defensive specialist appeared in just four games after being called up back on April 24. The 31-year-old is merely emergency organizational depth at this stage of his career. The Cubs are presumably going to role with intriguing prospect Pedro Ramírez in a versatile utility role off the bench.

Ramírez was officially called up prior to Friday’s series opener against the Astros with Matt Shaw landing on the injured list. The versatile 22-year-old’s stock has risen more than almost any prospect in baseball this season, transforming from an unheralded contact-oriented hitter with limited power into a potential top-tier prospect with elite bat-to-ball skills and upper-echelon exit velocities, thanks to an unexpected significant power breakout. He’s talented enough that fantasy managers should closely monitor his playing time, but he’s unlikely to play enough for the Cubs to make a significant impact. Still, he’s a fascinating prospect that fantasy managers need to keep on their radar screens until further notice.

The Cubs have not officially announced a move yet, but this is a pretty good indicator that Ramirez is up with the team this weekend. The switch-hitter is slashing.312/.395/.547 with nine home runs, 19 steals, and 40 RBI in 43 games at Triple-A this season. He has spent most of the season playing second base and third base, but has been playing some left field of late. Until we know what the corresponding roster move is, it’s hard to know for sure how much Ramirez will play, but his talent is certainly intriguing.

The 22-year-old just keeps hitting and climbing up prospect lists. He’s now up to nine home runs and 39 RBI on the season to go along with a .313 batting average and a .960 OPS. There’s no room at the inn for Ramírez with the Cubs right now, but the Cubs are also reportedly interested in trading for an ace starting pitcher. Ramírez may need to be involved in those talks.

The 22-year-old came into this season as the Cubs’ 8th-ranked prospect, but he is flying up top prospect lists right now. Ramírez is slashing .333/.396/.678 in 21 games at Triple-A with seven doubles, seven home runs, 27 RBI, seven steals, and an 18/9 K/BB ratio. He has been limited to just second base and third base this season, but has previous experience in left field as well. The Cubs are going to need to find another spot for him besides second base because Nico Hoerner isn’t going anywhere, and Ramírez is looking like he could be ready to be in Chicago by this summer.