April 08--Reliever Pedro Strop grounded out to first base Thursday night in his first major league plate appearance.
It's highly unlikely Strop would have received the opportunity to bat had Kyle Schwarber not injured his left leg -- an ailment that will force the Chicago Cubs to make a roster move prior to Friday night's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks regardless of the extent of Schwarber's injury.
Manager Joe Maddon, who isn't afraid to move his position players around, isn't fretting over how to replace Schwarber. But there are some areas of caution.
Schwarber was scheduled to catch Jason Hammel in Friday's night's game. With the Cubs scheduled to face left-hander Robbie Ray, there appears to be a good chance that David Ross will start.
The Cubs would like to preserve the strength of catcher Miguel Montero, 32, without taxing Ross, 39. At the very least, Maddon would have to be careful about not overextending them or using them in the same game.
There currently is enough coverage in the field to make up for the loss of Schwarber, as evidenced by Maddon's move after Schwarber was injured.
Jorge Soler is expected to get most of the playing time in left, but Maddon didn't rule out playing time for Tommy La Stella. The Cubs employed a lineup in the National League wild-card game that featured third baseman Kris Bryant in left field and Tommy La Stella at third base. That scenario could surface against tough right-handed pitchers.
Matt Szczur has at least one hit in each of the Cubs' first three games and gained more faith from Maddon and also could earn more time in the outfield.
With the addition of infielder Munenori Kawawsaki, the Cubs' 40-man roster is full. They could make room on the 40-man roster by transferring left-hander Zac Rosscup or infielder Christian Villanueva to the 60-day DL should they elect to add someone currently not on the 40-man roster.
Infielder Javier Baez can play numerous roles, but Maddon said before Thursday's game that Baez hasn't received enough at-bats to get his timing back since suffering a thumb bruise on March 20 and then getting grazed near the head on a pitch in a minor league game earlier this week.
Baez isn't eligible to be active from the DL until Saturday.
At any rate, the Cubs are expected to thoroughly examine their options well before they know the test results on Schwarber.
