Ronny

Cedeno

Cedeno wasn’t getting much playing time even before Nomar Garciaparra returned. He’ll be recalled in September, but he won’t have much of a role.

Cedeno, who is batting .252/.277/.332 with 33 runs scored in 25 RBI in 353 at-bats, has a long way to go offensively if he’s going to be a capable shortstop. The .277 OBP is even worse after factoring in that he’s been throw out on seven of his 13 steal attempts. There have been few worse offensive players in baseball this season.

The homer was his fourth and the stolen base his seventh in 14 tries this season. Since Cedeno is batting .259 with only 20 extra-base hits and 12 walks, he’s been one of the league’s worst regulars.

Cedeno is expected to be the Cubs’ top second baseman for the rest of the season, though Neifi Perez will continue to see more than his fair share of at-bats.

Cedeno entered with one homer in 216 at-bats this season. Neifi Perez, who had been homerless in 109 at-bats in 2006, also delivered a two-run shot. Cedeno has so far proven to be much more of an asset at the bottom of the lineup than at the top. He hit .250/.266/.337 in 92 at-bats as a No. 2 hitter. The Cubs had him batting seventh today and will often hit him eighth when neither Perez nor Henry Blanco is in the lienup.

Cedeno was sent to the bottom of the lineup for a few games last week, but he’s back batting second now and again doing a poor job of it. He’s hitting a Neifi-like .261/.278/.352 in 88 at-bats as a No. 2 hitter. The Cubs should give Matt Murton a real chance to hit second. An alternative would be to put Todd Walker back there and move Aramis Ramirez up to third.

''Ronny is a natural shortstop,’' manager Dusty Baker said. ''Anybody else is just a part-time shortstop.’' Ryan Theriot and Freddie Bynum will split time at second while Izturis is out.

Cedeno’s .255 average since the start of May doesn’t seem so bad, but it’s come with just eight extra-base hits and six walks in 212 at-bats. His OBP for the year stands at .295, and since he’s gotten caught on six of his 11 steal attempts, he’s actually been worse than that. His status as the Cubs’ long-term shortstop shouldn’t be secure until he shows real growth offensively.

Not a big surprise. While capable with the glove, Cedeno is batting just .257/.306/.351 with two homers, 31 RBI and a .657 OPS over 423 plate appearances this season. They could pay the $200,000 buyout and attempt to bring him back at a lesser salary or just go with either Brandon Wood or Chase d’Arnaud at shortstop.

Wright wants it to be perfectly clear that this isn’t an issue of him trying to suck up the pain and play through the injury. He can’t physically grip a bat or throw a ball currently. He’ll attempt to do both again on Saturday, but at this point a trip to the disabled list appears likely. If he needs to miss an extended period of time, Daniel Murphy will slide over to third base while Justin Turner and Ronny Cedeno will split playing time at second base.