April 14--Despite a 2-for-11 start, infielder Javier Baez remains on schedule to rejoin the Chicago Cubs perhaps as soon as before the end of his homestand.
"He's getting close," manager Joe Maddon said of Baez, 23, who has played three games on a minor league rehabilitation assignment for Triple-A Iowa. "We we just want to make sure he's well and feels good at the plate and seeing the ball well. But he's close."
Maddon said the Cubs are still looking at 20 at-bats for Baez, who is recovering from a left thumb bruise, at Iowa before he returns. Baez went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts and a double play in a 9-5 win over New Orleans on Wednesday.
Baez has played third base, left field and shortstop for Iowa. Baez is scheduled to play left field Thursday for Iowa, manager Marty Pevey told the Des Moines Register.
