Patrick Wisdom hitting bombs while striking out 35% of the time was cool because as fans we could at least enjoy those mammoth home runs while the Cubs were losing more than half of their games. Well, it hasn't been so fun lately even with Wisdom leading the 2023 Cubs with 20 home runs because they're actually trying to win now.
We have seen a pattern throughout the 2023 season of players, who even when reduced to a bench role, are slowly but surely phased out of the picture completely. The same thing is happening with Wisdom and it really does seem like his time on the Cubs roster is coming to an end this season.
Wisdom returned to the team on the 4th of July after missing nearly three weeks on the injured list with a sprained right wrist. Since then, he's only played in 22 games, getting a total of 52 plate appearances and he's pretty much been the type of hitter you want playing sporadically. Under the right matchups, Wisdom posted a slash line of .205/.308/.636, with 6 home runs, good enough for a healthy 143 wRC+ heading into Friday.
The strikeouts have still been high, 34.6%, but you'll take the power and at least Wisdom's walk rate during the past six weeks climbed to 11.5%. However, it gets difficult to accept all his flaws at the plate when Wisdom has also proven to be a bad player on defense.
Friday's game against the Royals was another example of that, as Wisdom made a costly error on a ground ball to first base in the sixth inning, when the Cubs were leading 3-2. The next batter, Bobby Witt Jr., hit the game-winning 2-run home run.
Meanwhile, the main reason Wisdom was even in the starting lineup in the series opener against the Kansas City Royals is because the Cubs were facing left-handed starting pitcher Cole Ragans. Wisdom did single and scored a run in the fourth inning, when the Cubs took a 3-2 lead, but he also struck out twice against Ragans, both times with a runner on base.
And then this is basically when you know a guy shouldn't be on your roster anymore. We saw it with Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini earlier in the season. They'd get starts and then get taken out for a pinch-hitter in critical situations later in games. On Friday, the Cubs had a two-out rally in the eighth inning, when they had two runners on with two outs and left-handed reliever Austin Cox on the mound and Wisdom due up.
So, Wisdom started against a lefty, but when there was a lefty reliever pitching in a big spot, David Ross opted to use Nick Madrigal as a pinch hitter. Makes you think...maybe Wisdom shouldn't have been starting at all.
Madrigal couldn't repeat his pinch-hit success from Wednesday and grounded out to end the scoring threat in the eighth.
Right now, whatever output Wisdom is giving the team on offense is just not worth it anymore. His defense has been atrocious at both corner infield positions this year and those struggles at third base stretch back to last season.
If the Cubs want to maximize their chances of getting into the postseason, then they must put their best players on the field as much as they can. I get it, sometimes guys do need an off-day, fine, but Wisdom has been hurting the team more often than helping lately.
It's time to give Mike Tauchman more looks against lefties and leave Cody Bellinger at first base.
The Cubs see it and although they might be too slow from a fans perspective to make roster moves, the Wisdom demotion might be coming soon. Prior to Friday night's Iowa Cubs game at Triple-A, left-handed hitting utility man Miles Mastrobuoni was suddenly a late scratch from the lineup.
Fans are speculating that this means Mastrobuoni is coming up to the Cubs to take Wisdom's roster spot. Hopefully that is the case and it's not because of an injury elsewhere.
And hey, a few months ago I would've been hitting that info with a giant eye roll, but Mastrobuoni found something at the plate in July and was a productive hitter when he got playing time. Prior to his latest demotion to Triple-A, Mastrobuoni had a slash line of .324/.375/.432, going 12-for-37 and stealing four bases in 13 games during the month of July.
I mean, I'd take the production and better defense off the bench than what Wisdom has been doing.
As for the longterm future of Wisdom with the Cubs, they're not going to designate him for assignment. The 31-year-old still has minor league options. If the team does make a move, the Cubs will simply send Wisdom down to Triple-A.
In the meantime, wash away Friday's ugly loss and relive the Christopher Morel walk-off against the White Sox, which we live-streamed on the Pinwheels And Ivy Podcast!
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