Cubs call up top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong after Cody Bellinger lands on IL with fractured ribs

Already dealing with a multitude of early-season injuries, the Chicago Cubs shut down Cody Bellinger with two fractured ribs on his right side, manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday. In the roster corresponding move, top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong was called up from Triple-A Iowa. The Cubs do not have a timetable for Bellinger’s return.

Bellinger, a Gold Glove outfielder, crashed into the Wrigley Field wall during Tuesday’s win over the Houston Astros. X-rays were negative after Bellinger exited the game early, but the results of Wednesday’s CT scan forced him onto the injured list.

“He’s bummed out,” Counsell said. “But you got to keep moving forward.”

That’s been Counsell’s attitude throughout the rash of injuries that weakened his pitching staff and removed Seiya Suzuki from the lineup. Bellinger and Suzuki, who’s sidelined with a strained right oblique, are probably the club’s two most talented hitters. But the Cubs have managed to navigate a difficult schedule, compiling a 14-9 record that reflects the organization’s depth and resourcefulness.

Bellinger’s path to Chicago was redirected by injuries that eventually led the Los Angeles Dodgers to non-tender the 2019 National League MVP. Cut loose after the 2022 season, Bellinger signed a prove-it contract with the Cubs and became the NL’s Comeback Player of the Year.

The Cubs struggled mightily while Bellinger spent a month on the injured list last season. That left knee injury happened while Bellinger made a spectacular catch at the wall. Once healthy, the Cubs needed Bellinger to play at an MVP level to avoid a sell-off at the trade deadline.

Those health concerns likely factored into Bellinger’s slow process as a free agent. The Cubs waited until after the start of spring training before signing him to a three-year, $80 million contract that allows him to opt-out of the deal after this season and next season.

The Cubs believe they’re better equipped to handle Bellinger’s injury this time with Michael Busch, the left-handed-hitting first baseman. Mike Tauchman also has a more defined role than he did at this time last year. Certain prospects are maturing in a top-ranked farm system.

“When you lose Seiya, when you lose Cody and players like that, your offense doesn’t improve,” Counsell said. “It can’t, right? In short stretches, certainly anything can happen, right? Frankly, what your goal is in those situations is (you know) there’s going to be a little bit of a drop-off, but you hope to minimize it as much as you can. I do think we’re in that position to maybe minimize their absences a little bit and cover for them a little bit. We’re going to have to do it with multiple players.”

“Honestly didn’t feel much at first,” Bellinger said after the game. “As the innings went on, I started to get a little more uncomfortable.”

Crow-Armstrong was cut from the Cubs’ spring roster in early March, and it seemed his path to everyday at-bats would be blocked after the re-signing of Bellinger. Now the 22-year-old center fielder will return to the majors after a brief 13-game stint with the Cubs last September. He went hitless over 19 at-bats.

Through 19 games with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs, Crow-Armstrong is slashing .203/.241/.392 with seven RBIs, five stolen bases and two home runs.

What to expect from Crow-Armstrong

After his rough debut at the plate in the big leagues, Crow-Armstrong came into the offseason with a focus on making some minor tweaks to his mechanics with the intention of being able to handle the high fastball better. Thus far, the results have not been there for Crow-Armstrong at Triple A this season.

But the Cubs believe that sticking with the plan and working through the struggles is the best course of action for Crow-Armstrong to reach his potential. They’d have preferred Crow-Armstrong force the issue with his performance and that the big-league team wasn’t as banged as they are. But the reality is Crow-Armstrong is needed now because early injuries are testing the Cubs.

“We always ask that question,” Counsel said when asked about the balance of player development and needing to win at the highest level. “Pete’s here because of injuries, right? So when these guys get healthy, there’s probably not going to be a spot for him. From that perspective, we’re maybe taking a timeout (with his development). But I still think big-league at-bats, big-league competition, that’s development, too. So it may not be on an everyday basis here, but there’s still things to learn. The priority is going to be winning games. And then we’ll put him in spots where he can hopefully help us do that.” — Sahadev Sharma, Cubs staff writer

How can Crow-Armstrong help?

He’s the best defensive outfielder on the team, arguably in the organization. So coming in late as a defensive replacement when the team is ahead is likely. He’s also one of the fastest players in the organization with strong base-running skills so coming in as a pinch-runner could be another way he could positively impact the team.

“The results have not been great,” Counsell said. “This is a spot where Pete can do things to help you win baseball games. That’s not just hitting. That’s what we’re going to look at. He’s going to get plate appearances. He’s going to get starts. And he’s got a chance to do something good.” — Sharma

Next steps for Suzuki

“Seiya’s doing great,” Counsell said. The Cubs hoped the Japanese outfielder would build off his strong finish to last season, when he posted a .938 OPS after the All-Star break. That momentum carried into his first 15 games this year (.893 OPS) before he experienced another oblique injury.

Suzuki has restarted baseball activities, such as taking swings and playing catch. He’s expected to accompany the team on its upcoming road trip to Boston and New York. As long as there are no setbacks, the Cubs are looking at early May as a possible target date for a minor-league rehab assignment. — Patrick Mooney, Cubs senior writer

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(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)