Rookie third baseman Patrick Wisdom burst onto the scene and has become quite the story in an otherwise-down season for the Cubs. His impressive power has made him a threat any time he steps into the batter’s box.
Wisdom highlighted the Cubs’ 6-4 victory Sunday against the Brewers by breaking Kris Bryant’s franchise home-run record for rookies. He came up with two on and the Cubs leading 3-2 in the eighth inning, got a 2-1 fastball from Jandel Gustave and crushed it 430 feet to make it 6-2.
‘‘It’s awesome,’’ Wisdom said after the game. ‘‘It’s really cool. I’m super-excited. I’m definitely honored. My wife and my two daughters were here in the stands, so that was pretty special for me.’’
It was Wisdom’s 27th homer of the season, one more than Bryant had in 2015. He also leads all National League rookies in homers and slugging percentage.
When you put Wisdom’s season into perspective, what makes it even more impressive is that he didn’t play his first game for the Cubs until May 25. But he quickly put himself on the map with his power surge.
‘‘The fact that he breaks the rookie record for this organization, with some really talented players that have been here, was awesome,’’ manager David Ross said.
Bryant had a front row seat to Wisdom’s magical season before he was traded to the Giants. But when he returned to Wrigley Field with the Giants this month, Bryant made sure to congratulate Wisdom early on the accomplishment.
‘‘We were just chit-chatting, and he said, ‘When you break my record, congrats on everything,’ so that was pretty cool,’’ Wisdom said.
Hoerner in, Maples out
The Cubs activated infielder Nico Hoerner (strained oblique) from the injured list. He started at shortstop and batted fifth.
To make room for Hoerner on the active roster, the Cubs designated right-handed reliever Dillon Maples for assignment. Maples was one of the longest-tenured players in the organization, having been drafted in the fifth round in 2011.
Maples had a complicated journey during his time with the Cubs because of command issues. He has elite stuff, but he never has been able to harness it and throw strikes consistently.
He had a 2.59 ERA in 28 appearances this season, but he also had a 1.277 WHIP and walked 7.2 batters per nine innings. In five seasons with the Cubs, he had a 5.10 ERA.
‘‘This guy has worked his tail off to continue to evolve [and] try to get his stuff in the zone consistently,’’ Ross said. ‘‘I think we’re just at a point in the season, in his career, where we want to take a look at some other guys.
‘‘We wish him the best in his career, and hopefully he catches on with somebody and is able to have a long, successful career.’’
The Cubs also optioned outfielder Nick Martini to Triple-A Iowa.
