The hours before the Cubs opened a three-game series against the Pirates on Tuesday weren’t all rain and gloom, although there was plenty of both during an hourlong rain delay.
A couple of pregame updates created a sunny outlook around the outfielders: Right fielder Seiya Suzuki was back in the lineup for an 11-3 victory after a mystery ailment sidelined him for two days. Center fielder Cody Bellinger (bruised left knee) began his rehab assignment in Triple-A Iowa. And because Bellinger started at first base, it appeared Mike Tauchman had played himself into a longer-term role with the big-league team covering center.
“There’s a number of thoughts there,” manager David Ross said of Bellinger playing first.
The first was health. Bellinger has run the gamut of baseball activities, but Ross said the only thing that bothered him was full extension during all-out sprints. First base requires less of that. Bellinger also has played plenty of first in his career, including 93 games in 2017, when he won National League Rookie of the Year, and 36 games in his 2019 MVP season.
“Also, Tauchman’s swinging the bat really well and held down center field pretty well,” Ross said. “So [we’re] just trying to find the best lineup whenever Belli gets back.”
Tauchman, with a team-leading .389 on-base percentage entering Tuesday, has been hitting leadoff against right-handed starters. His diving catch in the right-center gap Saturday in San Francisco was one of the best of the season — up there with Bellinger’s hit-robbing grab against the wall that landed him on the injured list.
“Off the bat, I didn’t think I had a great shot at it,” Tauchman said. “But that’s why you go hard, just in case.”
Bellinger playing at least part-time at first would give the Cubs an avenue to hold on to Tauchman, who’s out of minor-league options. Having both left-handed bats in the lineup also could address the team’s issues against right-handed pitching. The Cubs as a whole entered Tuesday with a .694 OPS against righties, compared to .763 facing lefties.
Before his injury, Bellinger had made an impressive turnaround from his last three seasons with the Dodgers. Injuries — and mechanical issues from compensating for them — likely played a part in his decline after his MVP year. But after a healthy offseason and a change of scenery, he was hitting .271 with seven home runs and 20 RBI.
“It’s definitely frustrating,” he said last week. “But once I come back, I’m still pretty confident that I’m going to be where I was.”
Ross wouldn’t estimate how many rehab games Bellinger will need. This early in the year, especially, they’re taking a cautious approach to injuries, including whatever kept Suzuki out for two games.
Suzuki didn’t provide any more clarity.
“If it’s not too serious, then I don’t want to make anything a big deal,” he said through his interpreter before the game.
Suzuki was just coming out of a skid, going 5-for-7 with a pair of doubles in the series finale against the Angels and the series opener against the Giants, when he was hit with his undisclosed ailment.
“I’m glad I was able to get back as soon as possible,” he said before going 1-for-4 with a hard-hit infield single, a walk and two runs scored against the Pirates.
