Cubs recall Happ from Triple-A

MILWAUKEE -- With a few days left until the Trade Deadline, the Cubs are balancing winning with evaluating. The latest layer to that approach for the National League Central co-leaders will be having outfielder Ian Happ rejoin the big league club.

The Cubs recalled Happ from Triple-A Iowa -- where he has spent the entire season to this point -- on Friday ahead of a key series against the Brewers in Milwaukee. The return of Happ is unrelated to third baseman Kris Bryant exiting Wednesday's game in San Francisco with a sore right knee.

Adding Happ will be the latest in a series of transactions of late for the Cubs, who are casting a wide net on the trade front ahead of Wednesday's Deadline. Chicago is in the market for bullpen help, but the club is also exploring the position-player market. Recent reports have linked the Cubs to Toronto's Eric Sogard and Detroit's Nicholas Castellanos, for example.

Chicago recently acquired catcher Martin Maldonado from the Royals, and the Cubs are now carrying three catchers after activating Willson Contreras from the 10-day injured list on Wednesday. Reliever Carl Edwards Jr. (recently off the IL) and struggling infielder Addison Russell were also optioned to Triple-A Iowa during the recent series against the Giants.

While Happ can help in the infield if needed, it is more likely that he sees time in the outfield. The switch-hitter could split time with Albert Almora Jr. in center field -- possibly spelling him against righties -- or shift to either corner based on matchups. Happ's presence might also alleviate the need to use Bryant in the outfield for the time being in light of the knee flare-up.

The 24-year-old Happ -- a first-round pick by the Cubs in the 2015 MLB Draft -- burst onto the big league scene in 2017, belting 24 home runs and posting an .842 OPS in 115 games. In '18, his slugging percentage dropped to .408 from .514 and his strikeout rate climbed to 36.2 percent. After monitoring his at-bats closely this past spring, the Cubs opted to send Happ to Iowa to focus on some swing and approach adjustments.

"I give him a lot of credit for staying patient and true to what we talked about," Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said in an interview on 670 AM in Chicago on Thursday.

In 99 games at Triple-A, Happ hit .242 with 16 homers, 53 RBIs and 113 strikeouts (26.3 percent) against 65 walks in 429 plate appearances. Happ hit .230 with a .774 OPS against right-handed pitching and .272 (.846 OPS) against lefties.

Happ went 0-for-5 on July 1, but then he turned in a .348/.477/.652 slash line with nearly as many walks (17) as strikeouts (18) in the next 19 games, leading up to his promotion to the Cubs. That showing came after he hit at a .188 clip for the month of June.

Barring something unexpected, it is possible the Cubs will reduce their nine-man bullpen by one arm to clear room for Happ's arrival, especially with the limited bench at the moment. Chicago has two catchers on the bench and its two main utility infielders -- David Bote and Daniel Descalso -- have been struggling of late at the plate.

Bote, who plays second and third and now serves as the backup shortstop after Russell's demotion, has hit .200 with a 45.2 percent strikeout rate in July. Descalso has mostly been used as a pinch-hitter, though he has gone just 2-for-26 (.077 average and .244 OPS) in that role this year. The veteran has also started just five games since June 1, hitting .129 in 31 at-bats across 25 games in that span.