What Cody Bellinger landing on IL with fractured finger means for Cubs' offense, trade deadline
BALTIMORE — The Cubs might be without outfielder Cody Bellinger through the trade deadline July 30, which has implications for them now, at the deadline and for next season.
The Cubs put Bellinger on the 10-day injured list Thursday with a fracture in his left middle finger suffered on a pitch that hit him on the hand Wednesday. Manager Craig Counsell didn’t rule out a late-July return for Bellinger, but that would be on the early side of a wide-ranging timeframe.
In a corresponding move, the Cubs recalled outfielder Alexander Canario from Triple-A Iowa.
‘‘We’re losing the guy that hits third in the lineup every day, so that hurts,’’ Counsell said before the Cubs’ 8-0 victory in the series finale against the Orioles. ‘‘You don’t replace that, necessarily. We have to circle the wagons while he’s out and do our best to continue what’s been a pretty decent offensive stretch here.’’
The Cubs plan to shut down Bellinger through the All-Star break, Counsell said, after which he’ll begin range-of-motion rehab.
It’s the second time Bellinger has landed on the IL because of a fracture this season. Fractured ribs sidelined him from April 24 through May 8.
‘‘It’s just so frustrating,’’ Bellinger said. ‘‘I like playing every day and making the adjustments from the previous day. . . . I will do whatever I can to make sure, when I am healthy, I’ll be ready to roll.’’
Though the power numbers haven’t been there for Bellinger this season, he was leading the Cubs in hits (84) entering play Thursday. He said he hadn’t thought about the effect the injury might have on his opt-out decision at the end of the season or the Cubs’ ability to trade him at the deadline.
‘‘It would probably make it a little harder, I’d imagine,’’ he said when asked about the trade deadline. ‘‘But I don’t really know the whole process, other than just control what I can control.’’
If the Cubs were to end up trading big-league talent at the deadline, Bellinger’s contract — three years and $80 million with two opt-outs — always was going to complicate his trade value. But a broken finger throws another wrench into the equation.
Speaking of what can be controlled, however, the Cubs still have a reasonable path to convincing president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to add at the deadline, even after a rut that lasted more than two months. The Cubs are three games out of a National League wild-card spot, albeit with five teams ahead of them.
‘‘We’re still right there, even with that stretch,’’ Bellinger said. ‘‘And so it gives us hope to just continue fighting and understand that we’re good enough to get there.’’
If they can get there and garner reinforcements after the All-Star break, what does he see as their potential?
‘‘I see us with a complete team,’’ Bellinger said. ‘‘I’ve been a believer — I think we’ve all been believers — since spring training. Even last year, even during the lows, we’ve got a really good team. During the rough stretches . . . it doesn’t necessarily feel like that. But the guys in this clubhouse all believe in each other.’’
The Cubs have shown promising signs in the last week. Their starting pitching has continued to stand out, and their offense, led by Ian Happ, Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki, has been clicking. That has led to back-to-back series wins for the first time since April. And with an 8-0 win Thursday, they completed a three-game sweep of the Orioles.
‘‘We’ve got a bunch of guys around me that are more than capable to continue to get the job done,’’ Bellinger said. ‘‘They’ve been swinging it well. So I’ll just be watching from the sidelines and trying to help as much as I can.’’