Cubs Promote OF Narciso Crook, Jason Heyward to 10-Day IL, Michael Hermosillo to 60-Day IL

Outfielder Narciso Crook has been tearing it up at Triple-A and it appears as though he’s being rewarded for a strong first half. He’s with the Cubs for the series finale and Jason Heyward has been placed on the injured list with his lingering knee issue. Because, you know, the Cubs are apparently obligated to play a man down for several games before actually using the IL.

https://twitter.com/mlbastian/status/1542608382611410950?s=21&t=VIhTcQWad93DhouddOFUrw

Feel free to insert your own joke about how keeping Heyward active and not playing him is actually better than having him healthy and in the lineup. In order to make room for Crook on the 40-man roster, the Cubs moved Michael Hermosillo to the 60-day IL.

Signed to a minor league deal in the offseason after spending eight years in the Reds organization, Crook is batting .268 with an .885 OPS in 184 plate appearances with Iowa. After a pair of slow months, he broke free in June with a .345 average and 1.111 OPS that included seven homers. Not bad.

Less than two weeks shy of his 27th birthday, Crook has the potential to give the Cubs a boost and maybe even hang around for a while. These late bloomers are often overlooked, but sometimes that makes them hungrier.