LAS VEGAS — On Friday against the White Sox, Cubs outfielder Ian Miller bunted for a hit, stole second, continued to third on a throwing error by the catcher and scored on a wild pitch.
‘‘Isn’t that fun to watch?’’ manager David Ross said.
Enough fun to make Ross’ wheels turn in his head almost as fast as Miller’s wheels turn on the bases.
‘‘He’s definitely exciting to watch, especially for a team where we don’t really have that in our game too much,’’ Ross said. ‘‘I think a guy like that can definitely impact us and have a big role. We’ll continue to see how spring training plays out.’’
Miller, 28, is a rookie who debuted briefly with the Twins last season. He has a career .274 batting average with 243 stolen bases in the minors.
Under rules a year ago, Miller would be in camp as a depth guy but almost certainly would be headed to the minors.
But a 26th roster spot has been added this season, and with pitching staffs capped at 13, it assures in most cases that the new spot will go to a position player.
‘‘In general, I just want somebody who complements the rest of the team,’’ Ross said. ‘‘Maybe something different [than what’s already on the roster]. I don’t want six utility guys. Maybe we have a power bat on the bench or a speed guy or a third catcher. We’re still looking at all those options.’’
Miller, who was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts Saturday against the Reds, is the speed guy on that wish list; Josh Phegley, who is 5-for-17 with a home run this spring, is the catcher; outfielder Steven Souza Jr., who homered against Yu Darvish in a simulated game Friday, is the power bat.
At least nine hitters are locks at this point, with some combination of Jason Kipnis or David Bote (or both) joining that group. Veteran infielder Daniel Descalso has struggled this spring after a down 2019 but is respected in the clubhouse and under a guaranteed contract. Rookie infielder Nico Hoerner is promising and one of the rare second-base candidates capable of backing up Javy Baez at short, but he also needs enough playing time to develop after skipping Class AAA for a late-season debut in 2019.
These are just some of the bigger moving pieces in play as the Cubs look at filling the new spot when camp breaks two weeks from Monday.
‘‘I haven’t taken anybody out of that mix yet,’’ Ross said.
Rizzo returns
First baseman Anthony Rizzo returned to the field after missing the previous two days of games because of a blister that broke open on his right middle finger.
‘‘It looked fine [Friday],’’ said Ross, who wanted to give it an extra day to heal. ‘‘You want to make sure that thing closes up. Those nagging injuries can affect your swing and little things like that.’’
Rizzo reached base once in three trips to the plate, getting hit by a pitch in the third inning. He eventually scored on a two-run triple by Hoerner.
