Miles Mastrobuoni Injury News & Updates

Mastrobuoni went 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 7-6 loss to Atlanta.

Mastrobuoni had eight hits over four games before hitting the bench for Sunday's contest, though he did appear as a pinch hitter. He got the start Tuesday and picked up right where he left off, pushing his batting average to an even .500 for the month. With the Cubs scrapping for a playoff spot, they may need to keep Mastrobuoni in the lineup and ride his bat while it's hot.

Mastrobuoni went 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored in Saturday's win over the Rockies. He also stole a base.

Mastrobuoni has been playing well lately, as he's currently riding a four-game hitting streak and he's batting a robust .533 during the stretch. He still profiles as more of a bench option for the Cubs overall, though increased playing time has been available with Jeimer Candelario (back) and Nick Madrigal (hamstring) both on the injured list.

Mastrobuoni went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored in Wednesday's 13-7 loss to the Pirates.

Mastrobuoni entered the contest with just three hits at the MLB level since July 21, so Wednesday's performance was certainly unexpected, particularly out of the No. 9 spot in the order. The 27-year-old is still just a bench option for the Cubs, though he's seen a slightly larger role recently with Jeimer Candelario (back) and Nick Madrigal (hamstring) both currently out.

The Cubs recalled Mastrobuoni from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Despite his lackluster MLB stats this season, Mastrobuoni appears to have rediscovered his swing over the last several weeks. He appeared in 13 games during his last major-league stint in July and slashed .324/.375/.432 with three RBI and 10 runs scored. Once he was optioned to Triple-A, his hot hitting continued with a .959 OPS since Aug. 1. Mastrobuoni will likely serve in a bench role with the Cubs, but the team could look for ways to get his hot bat in the game often. Tucker Barnhart was DFA'd in a corresponding move.

Mastrobuoni was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Nick Madrigal was activated from the 10-day injured list, so Mastrobuoni's playing time was about to evaporate anyway. He hit .300 with one home run and five steals over his last 40 at-bats.

Mastrobuoni isn't in the Cubs' lineup Friday against the Cardinals.

With southpaw Jordan Montgomery set to start on the mound Friday for St. Louis, the lefty-hitting Mastrobuoni will take a seat to begin the game. Patrick Wisdom will get the nod at the hot corner instead and bat eighth.

Mastrobuoni will start at third base and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Mastrobuoni looked at risk of losing out on playing time when Dansby Swanson returned from the 10-day injured list Saturday, but it's instead been Trey Mancini who has moved into a bench role. With Christopher Morel making his last three starts as the Cubs' designated hitter, Mastrobuoni has been able to settle as the team's primary third baseman. He should continue to make regular starts against right-handed pitching, though Mastrobuoni could give way to Morel or Patrick Wisdom at third base when the Cubs oppose southpaws.

Mastrobuoni is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.

Though he's on the bench Sunday versus a southpaw (Jordan Montgomery), Mastrobuoni's opportunities to play against right-handed pitching may become more scarce now that Dansby Swanson is back from the injured list. With Swanson back in the fold, Christopher Morel is unlikely to see much time in the middle infield moving forward and could end up settling into an everyday role at third base, where Mastrobuoni had been occupying the strong side of a platoon with Patrick Wisdom.

Mastrobuoni went 2-for-3 with a solo home run in Friday's victory over the Cardinals.

Mastrobuoni got the Cubs on the board in the third inning with his first career home run. It's been a struggle offensively for the versatile defender in his first season with Chicago, but he's beginning to pick up the pace and has recorded three straight multi-hit games. With Patrick Wisdom scuffling defensively and Nick Madrigal (hamstring) on injured reserve, Mastrobuoni should continue drawing regular starts at third base, especially against right-handed starters.

Mastrobuoni is out of the lineup for Thursday's game against the Cardinals.

While he'll head to the bench with southpaw Steven Matz on the hill for St. Louis, the lefty-hitting Mastrobuoni looks to have emerged as a strong-side platoon player at third base for the Cubs. Mastrobuoni has occupied the hot corner in each of the Cubs' last three matchups with right-handed pitchers, while Patrick Wisdom has now started in all of the Cubs' matchups with lefties since he returned from the injured list earlier this month. The Mastrobuoni-Wisdom platoon could come to an end as soon as Dansby Swanson (heel) likely returns from the injured list this weekend, however. Swanson's return is expected to push Christopher Morel out of the middle infield and into a regular role at third base.

Mastrobuoni went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored in Monday's 17-3 win over the Nationals.

The Cubs cranked out 20 hits and Mastrobuoni had three of them, which was his first three-hit game of the season. It was just his second multi-hit effort, as he came into the contest batting only .155. The 27-year-old managed to raise that by 29 points, but he shouldn't be expected to have too many more stat lines like this the rest of the way.

Mastrobuoni went 0-for-2 with two walks, a stolen base and a run scored in Sunday's 11-5 loss to the Red Sox.

Mastrobuoni has been in the lineup in two of three games since the All-Star break, but he's gone hitless over six at-bats. He's faced right-handed pitchers both times, suggesting he could be carving out a platoon role at third base that could eat into Patrick Wisdom's playing time. Mastrobuoni will need to do a bit more with the bat to maintain his newfound role -- he's slashing just .155/.268/.197 with seven steals, one RBI, seven runs scored and three doubles over 84 plate appearances this season.

Mastrobuoni was recalled by the Cubs on Saturday.

Mastrobuoni has been on and off the Cubs' roster this season but has generally not made much of an impact, slashing .145/.254/.177 in 30 games. He'll take the roster spot which had belonged to Dansby Swanson, who landed on the injured list with a bruised left heel.

The Cubs optioned Mastrobuoni to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

With the selection of Jared Young from Triple-A on Tuesday, Mastrobuoni will serve as the Cubs' roster casualty to make room for Young. Mastrobuoni holds an impressive .949 OPS in Iowa this season, but has yet to put it together in Chicago, where his OPS drops to just .431.

Mastrobuoni is starting at third base and batting ninth in Saturday's game against the Orioles.

Patrick Wisdom (wrist) hit the injured list Saturday, which should open up some time at the hot corner. Nick Madrigal will likely get some run there as well, though he's on the bench for Saturday's contest. Mastrobuoni has just a .440 OPS across 59 MLB at-bats this season, making him a fairly unappealing fantasy option at this point.

The Cubs recalled Mastrobuoni from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

After being optioned to Iowa on Friday, Mastrobuoni will return to Chicago as Brandon Hughes (knee) lands on the injured list. Mastrobuoni is slashing just .161/.266/.196 on the season through 64 plate appearances and is unlikely to be a large contributor off the bench for the Cubs.

Mastrobuoni was optioned to Triple-A Iowa by the Cubs on Friday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.

Mastrobuoni was sent down to make room for Nick Madrigal, with Madrigal receiving a promotion from Triple-A for his strong work in the minors. Mastrobuoni hit only .161 with a .462 OPS while with the Cubs over 25 games and 56 at-bats.

Mastrobuoni went 1-for-2 with a double, three walks and a stolen base in Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the Astros.

Mastrobuoni hadn't drawn a walk this season prior to Wednesday, though he did have eight strikeouts. The 27-year-old wasn't able to get involved in the Cubs' run-scoring plays, but it was a solid showing in a rare start at second base with Christopher Morel covering Cody Bellinger (knee) in center field. Mastrobuoni is slashing .214/.290/.286 with one RBI, one run scored, two doubles and two steals through 31 plate appearances.

The Cubs recalled Mastrobuoni from Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Mastrobuoni will add a bit of versatility to the bench as Nico Hoerner recovers from a left hamstring strain. The 27-year-old has slashed just .194/.216/.222 through 37 career plate appearances at the MLB level.

Mastrobuoni was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Friday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

The move opens up a roster spot for Seiya Suzuki (oblique) to return from the injured list Friday. Mastrobuoni slashed just .200/.200/.250 over 20 plate appearances during his time with Chicago, and he will likely remain in an organizational depth role while he's with Triple-A Iowa.

Mastrobuoni will start in right field and bat eighth in Wednesday's game against the Mariners.

Mastrobuoni will be making his second start of the series after going 1-for-3 with a double in Monday's 3-2 win. The Cubs haven't committed to a full-time replacement for Seiya Suzuki (oblique) in right field while Suzuki has been on the injured list all season, but with five starts at the position now under his belt, Mastrobuoni appears to be the preferred option for the time being, at least against right-handed pitching.

Mastrobuoni is in right field and batting ninth for the Cubs on Thursday against the Brewers.

Mastrobuoni won one of the last roster spots for the Cubs but is immediately thrown into the fire. Patrick Wisdom is handling third base and Trey Mancini is in the designated hitter spot, with Edwin Rios on the bench.

Mastrobuoni has been informed that he's made the Cubs' Opening Day roster, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Mastrobuoni earned a spot with an .833 OPS, two stolen bases and more walks (six) than strikeouts (four) this spring. The 27-year-old's versatility should allow him to find fairly regular playing time even if he doesn't have a set starting spot.

Mastrobuoni went 1-for-2 with two walks, two RBI and two runs scored in Thursday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks.

Mastrobuoni has quietly had a nice spring, as he's batting .333 across seven games with an .862 OPS. The 27-year-old, who came over from Tampa Bay in November, is competing for a bench role with the Cubs. He likely won't have a huge fantasy impact even if he makes the team, however.

Mastrobuoni is an option to earn a bench role with the Cubs out of spring training, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Mastrobuoni was acquired in a trade from Tampa Bay in November. The 27-year-old appeared in only eight games for the Rays during his MLB debut in 2022, so he's likely to start the year in the minors. However, he's a lefty bat with some positional flexibility, so he could force his way onto the roster with a strong spring.

Mastrobuoni was traded from the Rays to the Cubs on Tuesday in exchange for a low-level pitching prospect, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

As Topkin notes, this will open up a 40-man roster spot for the Rays that they can use to protect a prospect from the Rule 5 draft. Mastrobuoni can play second base and the outfield and hit .300/.377/.469 with 16 home runs and 23 steals in 129 games as a 26-year-old at Triple-A this past season. He will compete with Zach McKinstry for lefty-hitting utility work in 2023.

The Rays optioned Mastrobuoni to Triple-A Durham on Monday.

During his first stint in the majors, Mastrobuoni saw action in eight games and slashed .188/.235/.188 with a stolen base across 17 plate appearances. He'll be replaced on the 28-man active roster by another utility type in Vidal Brujan, who was called up from Durham in a corresponding move.

Mastrobuoni went 2-for-4 with a run scored Friday against the Blue Jays.

Mastrobuoni made his first big-league start, hitting seventh while starting at second base. He chipped in a pair of singles, also coming around to score his first run in the majors. Mastrobuoni isn't likely to see significant playing time moving forward, though he could get some plate appearances so long as Yandy Diaz (shoulder) is banged up.

Mastrobuoni's contract was purchased from Triple-A Durham on Thursday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Mastrobuoni had seemed like a potential utility prospect for several years thanks to his solid hit tool and defensive versatility. This is the first year in six minor-league seasons the 26-year-old has logged an ISO over .150. He hit .300/.377/.469 with 16 home runs and 23 steals in 129 games at Triple-A. Mastrobuoni played 56 games at second base, with another handful of starts coming at shortstop, third base and all three outfield spots.

Mastrobuoni, who slugged his second home run of spring in Wednesday's Grapefruit League win over the Pirats, is hitting .294 (5-for-17) across 10 spring games.

Mastrobuoni's well-rounded line includes two doubles, two homers, three RBI, two walks and six runs, rock-solid numbers for a prospect that's never actually demonstrated much pop at the minor-league level. The 25-year-old has been an above-average on-base presence and has recorded double-digit steals at three different professional stops. His spring showing and the fact he got four games of exposure to the Triple-A level back in 2019 makes it likely he opens the campaign there again in 2021.