It's too bad Jake Fox can't play third base, because it seems that Cubs third baseman Aramis Ramirez may be headed to the DL soon with a calf injury.
BleedCubbieBlue.com is reporting that Ramirez could be disabled by the end of this week. Here is what Lou Piniella said about A-Ram, courtesy of a link from that same Cubs blogsite:
"He ran but couldn't accelerate at all," manager Lou Piniella said. "The plan is we're going to wait until Thursday and have him run again in Chicago, and if it's not any better then, we're going to have to weigh all our options. ... We don't have any infielders."
As BCB says, an infield of Mike Fontenot at third base and Aaron Miles at second is not an arrangement you could live with for very long.
Fontenot is poor defensively at third, and Miles isn't hitting. But with no real third base options available, the Cubs may have to go outside the organization to find help at third base.
Jim Hendry was actively looking for an infielder who can play third earlier in the spring. He brought in Corey Koskie, but he retired. He briefly chased Rich Aurilia, but he signed with the Giants.
Mike Lamb would have been a decent addition, but he just signed with the Mets.
At Iowa, Jake Fox continues to tear it up to the tune of .446/.512/1.068 with an off the charts OPS of 1.580. It may be early and it may only be Iowa, but Fox has hit 12 home runs in 19 games thus far.
No prospect any longer, as he will turn 27 in July. Fox plays first base, and not very well I might add. He'd seem to be an ideal pickup for an American League club who can use him as a DH.
Any suggestions on who the Cubs might bring in to help?
Meanwhile, Derrek Lee is expected back in the lineup today against the D-Backs. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, come to think of it.
- Login to post comments