SAN DIEGO – Struggling at the plate early in the season, the Cubs felt it would be best to send their first baseman down to Triple-A in order to get a little extra work.
That lasted all of one day before the team called Frank Schwindel to have him join the team on the west coast.
After demoting him on Saturday, the Cubs have recalled Frank Schwindel as they start a three-game series with the Padres in San Diego on Monday night. This comes after the team put closer David Roberson on the injured list without a designation, similar with what the team did with starter Marcus Stroman on Sunday.
Left-hander Connor Menez has been called up to the Cubs while Adrian Sampson was sent back down to Triple-A Iowa.
After a breakout finish to the 2021 season after he took over for the traded Anthony Rizzo at first base, Schwindel had had difficulty finding the same magic this season. He’s hitting .209/.250/.308 with three doubles, two homers, and nine RBI in 25 games.
Schwindel has 21 strikeouts in 91 plate appearances after having just 36 in 222 at-bats with the Cubs the season before. In 2021, Schwindel hit .342 with 13 homers and 40 RBI in 56 games and was named the National League’s Rookie of the Month for August.
The Cubs enter this six-game road trip against the Padres (Monday-Wednesday) and Diamondbacks (Friday-Sunday) on a five-game losing streak as they’ve lost 14 of their last 17 games. That’s put them nine games behind the Brewers for first in the National League Central Division.