The Cubs placed Zagunis on the restricted list Thursday after he informed the club that he will opt out of the 2020 season, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Zagunis will lose his spot in the Cubs' 60-man player pool as a result, though he'll still remain under club control. Had he cracked the team's Opening Day roster, Zagunis likely would have been in line for limited action as a reserve outfielder.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: Added to 60-man pool
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Zagunis will be a part of the Cubs' 60-man player pool this season.
Zagunis will be a part of the roster, but he was assigned to camp in South Bend while MLB regulars will train at Wrigley Field. This would seem to indicate that Zagunis is buried on the team's outfield depth chart. The outfield group training at Wrigley Field consists of Albert Almora, Ian Happ, Jason Heyward, Ian Miller, Kyle Schwarber and Steven Souza.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: Outrighted to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs sent Zagunis outright to Triple-A Iowa on Sunday after he went unclaimed off waivers.
Chicago designated Zagunis for assignment earlier this month to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Ben Zobrist, who was reinstated from the restricted list. The outfielder will stick around with the Cubs as organizational depth after hitting .250 in 30 games at the big-league level in 2019.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: Removed from 40-man roster
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Zagunis was designated for assignment by the Cubs on Saturday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Zagunis has only one major-league plate appearance since late May and is being jettisoned from the 40-man roster as Ben Zobrist (personal) makes his return to the club. The 26-year-old had a .250/.325/.333 slash line with three doubles in 30 big-league games this season.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: Returned to Triple-A
Rotowire
Zagunis was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday.
Zagunis was up as the 26th man for Sunday's Little League Classic. He'll head right back to the minors after striking out in his lone plate appearance. He's 9-for-36 with three doubles and five RBI in the big leagues this season (30 games).
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: Up as 26th man
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Zagunis is up as the Cubs' 26th man for Sunday's Little League Classic against the Pirates, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
The same rules apply for this unique game as for doubleheaders. Zagunis will serve as an extra bench bat before returning to Triple-A Iowa.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
Zagunis was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
He received just seven at-bats in May, and will be sent to Triple-A in order to get more regular playing time. Zagunis would likely need a couple injuries on the big-league roster in order to profile as more than just a pinch hitter the next time he comes up to the majors.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: No starts in May
Rotowire
Zagunis remains out of the lineup for Thursday's game againt the Phillies.
Zagunis last started April 26 and has only logged seven at-bats since that time. He could be at risk of a demotion to Triple-A Iowa once Ben Zobrist (personal) rejoins the active roster.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: Starting Sunday
Rotowire
Zagunis is starting in right field and batting ninth in Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Zagunis will be making his first start since April 12, as the Cubs sit outfield regulars Jason Heyward and Kyle Schwarber with Arizona lefty Robbie Ray on the mound. Zagunis is slashing .333/.333/.476 with four RBI in just 21 at-bats so far this season.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: Seeing limited action
Rotowire
Zagunis remains out of the lineup for Saturday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Zagunis hasn't started since April 12 and has logged just 20 plate appearances all season as the Cubs' fifth outfielder. The 26-year-old may be at risk of losing his spot on the active roster when the Cubs activate Jon Lester (hamstring) from the 10-day injured list or when they reinstate Addison Russell (suspension).
Zagunis is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Rangers.
Zagunis drew the start in the season opener Thursday against lefty starter Mike Minor but will make way for Kyle Schwarber in this one. The Cubs may use Zagunis on occasion against southpaws and sit Schwarber, though Zagunis likely won't draw enough playing time to make a lot of noise on the fantasy front.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: Draws start in opener
Rotowire
Zagunis went 1-for-2 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Thursday's season opener against Texas.
Zagunis surprisingly got the nod in left field while Kyle Schwarber came off the bench later in the ballgame. Zagunis wasn't even a lock to make the team after battling through a hand injury during spring training, but he picked up a start on Opening Day and drove in his first run of the season after appearing in just five contests for the Cubs all of last year. He's not expected to be an everyday starter, although skipper Joe Maddon is showing early on that he's not afraid to give Zagunis his hacks.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: On track to break camp with Cubs
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Zagunis is likely to stick on the Cubs' Opening Day roster, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Zagunis seemed bound for Triple-A Iowa to start the season, but Ian Happ's demotion opened things up for him to serve as the fourth outfielder. The 26-year-old enjoyed an impressive spring training with a .333/.400/.718 slash line and four home runs in 39 at-bats. Zagunis is the lone pure outfielder on the bench for Chicago, but the team would be better off using Kris Bryant or Ben Zobrist before him if the infield is full.
Zagunis (hand) will start in right field and hit seventh Wednesday in the Cubs' Cactus League game against the Athletics, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Zagunis was scratched from the lineup over the weekend after complaining about a sore hand, but as anticipated, the injury proved to be only a short-term concern. The 26-year-old is enjoying an excellent spring with an 8-for-23 mark at the plate that includes two home runs and 10 RBI, but the Cubs' wealth of versatile bench options makes it likely that Zagunis opens the campaign at Triple-A Iowa.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: More aggressive at the plate
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Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Zagunis has been showing a more aggressive approach at the plate this spring, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.
The approach seems to be working so far this spring, as Zagunis is slashing .364/.417/.773 through 22 at-bats despite drawing just one walk. "He's not up there just trying to accept the walk," Maddon said. "He's trying to hurt the ball." The 26-year-old outfielder is likely ticketed for Triple-A Iowa to begin the season with the Cubs outfield looking pretty crowded, but Zagunis could force his way up if he continues to hit. He's also currently dealing with a hand injury after getting hit by a pitch Friday but it's not expected to keep him out of the lineup long.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: Dealing with hand injury
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Zagunis was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's Cactus League game against the Giants due to a sore hand, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Zagunis picked up the injury when he was struck by a pitch in Friday's 9-3 win over the Mariners. The Cubs don't believe the issue is anything serious for Zagunis, who is competing for a reserve outfield job but is most likely to open the campaign at Triple-A Iowa.
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Cubs' Mark Zagunis: Removed from lineup
Rotowire
Zagunis was scratched from the lineup for Saturday's split-squad Cactus League game against the Giants, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Zagunis had initially been slated to start in right field and hit sixth, but Phillip Evans was subsequently added to the lineup card in Zagunis' stead. Unless the Cubs suggest Zagunis' removal from the starting nine was for injury-related reasons, he should be available off the bench.
