Cubs' Nick Madrigal: No restrictions this offseason
Rotowire
Madrigal (hamstring) will head into the offseason without any restrictions, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Madrigal suffered a right hamstring strain in mid-September and was shifted to the 60-day injured list late in the season. He appears to be healed up now, though, or at least will be by the time he begins his offseason workout routine. Madrigal made 68 starts -- 61 at third base -- for the Cubs this season, collecting a .663 OPS with two homers. He'll have a shot to compete for playing time again in 2024, although the team is surely hoping to have a better option for the hot corner.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Shifts to 60-day IL
Rotowire
The Cubs transferred Madrigal (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Sunday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
After Chicago was officially eliminated from playoff contention Saturday, the team made a slew of roster moves ahead of Sunday's season finale versus the Brewers. Madrigal and Michael Fulmer (forearm) were both transferred to the 60-day IL for procedural reasons, as the moves opened up spots on the 40-man roster for relievers Shane Greene and Tyler Duffey. Madrigal will be activated and added back to the 40-man roster over the offseason and should be fully recovered from his right hamstring strain well in advance of spring training.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Placed on 10-day IL
Rotowire
Madrigal was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right hamstring strain, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Madrigal strained his hamstring in Saturday's loss to the Diamondbacks and will be sidelined until at least Sept. 27. Christopher Morel is covering third base Tuesday against the Pirates and the Cubs have also recalled Jared Young from Triple-A Iowa to provide some extra infield depth.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Dealing with hamstring issue
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Madrigal is absent from the lineup Sunday versus the Diamondbacks with a hamstring injury, Maddie Lee of The Sun Times reports.
Madrigal exited Saturday's 7-6 extra-innings loss to Arizona early with an apparent hamstring injury. Manager David Ross said Sunday that "it was just some cramping and tightness" and that Madrigal is not expected to require a stint on the injured list. The 26-year-old can be considered day-to-day for the time being with the Cubs having a day off Monday.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Sitting Sunday
Rotowire
Madrigal is not in the starting lineup Sunday versus the Diamondbacks.
Madrigal will get a breather after he went 2-for-8 with a run scored over the first two games of the series. Patrick Wisdom will take over at third base and bat eighth in the series finale.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: On bench Thursday
Rotowire
Madrigal is not in the lineup Thursday versus the Diamondbacks.
Jeimer Candelario will start at third base as Christopher Morel takes a turn in the DH role. Madrigal is slashing just .172/.200/.207 over his last 30 plate appearances for the Cubs and his season OPS has fallen to .679.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Returns to lineup Sunday
Rotowire
Madrigal is starting at third base and batting eighth in Sunday's game against the Reds.
Madrigal received a breather Saturday amid a 1-for-12 slump, but he'll return to the lineup Sunday. The infielder is still batting a solid .270 this season, though he's mostly a contact hitter with only two home runs through 79 games.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Sitting Saturday
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Madrigal isn't in the Cubs' lineup Saturday against the Reds, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Madrigal will get a breather Saturday after going just 1-for-12 across his last five games. Jeimer Candelario will man third base in Madrigal's absence, allowing Christopher Morel to serve as the Cubs' DH.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Sitting for nightcap
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Madrigal is not in the starting lineup for the second game of Friday's doubleheader with the Reds.
Madrigal will take a seat after he went 1-for-3 with a walk in Chicago's 6-2 victory during the matinee. Jeimer Candelario will slot in at third base while Christopher Morel handles designated hitter duties and bats ninth in the nightcap.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: On bench Tuesday
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Madrigal is not in the lineup Tuesday versus the Brewers.
Jeimer Candelario will start at third base and bat seventh. Madrigal went 0-for-3 in the Cubs' loss to Milwaukee on Monday and is slashing just .233/.233/.372 over his last 45 plate appearances dating back to Aug. 6.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Retreats to bench
Rotowire
Madrigal is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Pirates.
Madrigal had started each of the past four contests, going 5-for-14 with a run and an RBI while extending his hitting streak to six games. Unless he's used off the bench Sunday, the streak will be put on hold, but Madrigal appears to be moving into the everyday spot in the lineup that had belonged to Christopher Morel. The slumping Morel will be riding pine along with Madrigal on Sunday, marking Morel's fourth benching in the past five contests.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Goes deep in comeback win
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Madrigal hit a pinch-hit solo home run in Wednesday's 4-3 win over the White Sox.
Madrigal pinch hit for Tucker Barnhart to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning, and the team was probably just hoping he'd reach base. However, the infielder managed only his second home run of the season, cutting the deficit to 3-1 as the Cubs mounted a late comeback. Despite the heroics, Madrigal's fantasy stock has taken a hit lately, with new acquisition Jeimer Candelario starting to see more time at third when Chicago uses Cody Bellinger at first. It's a crowded playing time situation that figures to leave Madrigal on the bench more often than not in the immediate future.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Losing work to Suzuki
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Madrigal is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.
On the bench for the fifth time in six games, Madrigal appears to have lost hold of his regular starting role at third base as part of the domino effect of Seiya Suzuki regaining a foothold in the Cubs' everyday lineup. With Suzuki settling back in as the Cubs' primary right fielder, Cody Bellinger has been seeing more time at first base, while Jeimer Candelario has been pushed across the diamond to replace Madrigal in the lineup.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Not starting
Rotowire
Madrigal is out of the lineup Friday against the Blue Jays.
Madrigal was omitted from the starting lineup for the first time since Aug. 2. In the seven games since, the infielder is 5-for-23 with zero extra-base hits. With Seiya Suzuki getting less playing time recently, Madrigal has seen more time on the field, but with Suzuki coming off a great game and starting Friday against righty Jose Berrios, Madrigal may be in danger of seeing less playing time.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Takes seat Wednesday
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Madrigal is out of the lineup Wednesday against the Mets.
Jeimer Candelario is playing third base and Patrick Wisdom will cover first base. Nico Hoerner is at second. Madrigal has produced three multi-hit games since returning July 29 from a right hamstring strain, but he carries an overall .686 OPS with one homer and eight steals across 207 plate appearances this year.
Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Draws fourth consecutive start
Rotowire
Madrigal will start at third base and bat eighth Sunday against Atlanta.
Madrigal will take a four-game hitting streak into Sunday's contest as he picks up his fourth consecutive start. Though Madrigal's lack of power (one home run) and modest speed (eight stolen bases in 10 attempts) limit his fantasy ceiling, he should be a plus source of batting average while he's continuing to get regular playing time. He appears to have at least temporarily seized hold of a steady role at the expense of Seiya Suzuki, who is on the bench for a fourth consecutive matchup against a right-handed starting pitcher.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: On bench, could lose playing time
Rotowire
Madrigal is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.
Madrigal had started at third base in each of the Cubs' last four games, but he appears destined to move into more of a part-time role following Tuesday's acquisition of Jeimer Candelario. Though manager David Ross acknowledged that Candelario will see plenty of time at first base, his arrival could create a domino effect that results in Christopher Morel seeing most of the starts at third base.
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Cubs' Nick Madrigal: Doubles, scores in return
Rotowire
Madrigal (hamstring) went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Saturday's win over the Cardinals.
Madrigal returned to the lineup after missing a little more than three weeks with a hamstring strain. He started at third and batted ninth in his first game back. Madrigal and Patrick Wisdom should compete for time at the hot corner moving forward, with the former a better contact hitter but the latter providing more power potential. Madrigal could have some sneaky fantasy value if he takes over on a more regular basis.
