March 17--MESA, Ariz. -- Joe Maddon spent nearly 15 seasons in player development before becoming a major league coach in 1994, so he understands the delicate nature of when to promote top prospects.
So Maddon carefully and thoroughly responded to a reporter's question regarding the factors taken into consideration when promoting a top prospect on the major league roster.
Maddon correctly assumed the player in question was Kris Bryant, whom several fans have been clamoring for to make the opening day roster despite less than two months of Triple-A experience.
"I've always believed this with a young guy with a lot of expectations, that if you have a chance to start in Triple-A and get it going, and then show up, it's a lot easier sometimes," Maddon said. "When a guy comes up and just goes from Jump Street and struggles and he's never struggled before, sometimes that can get in the way. A lot of times they recover, but sometimes it retards the recovery.
"I'm very much aware of that when you have meetings and conversations about that. That's something you have to consider. But it can't always affect people all the time. But sometimes it's the more prudent way to start someone's major league career -- especially in a situation like ours when we have a pretty good chance of winning this year. So there's different dynamics working here all the time. But it's never a perfect world. You just got to make your best guess."
The Cubs are being extremely careful about Bryant's fatigued right shoulder, which has prevented him from playing third base since Thursday.
Maddon said it's "possible" that Bryant could return to third base Thursday and that his throwing will be monitored by the medical staff.
"At the end of the day, there's no reason to rush any of this," Maddon said. "That's how I look at it. If it goes back to Friday, it's not going to bum me out."
