The Cubs optioned Mastrobuoni to Triple-A Iowa on Wednesday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Kevin Alcantara was called up from Iowa to take Mastrobuoni's spot on the 28-man active roster. Mastrobuoni will likely finish the 2024 season with a .194/.245/.224 slash line in 50 games for the Cubs.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Optioned to Iowa
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The Cubs optioned Mastrobuoni to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
With Isaac Paredes now active and set to take over as Chicago's primary third baseman, Mastrobuoni no longer has a place in the Cubs' infield unit and will now head back to Triple-A. The 28-year-old slashed .260/.283/.300 in 53 plate appearances after being recalled in mid-June.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Losing playing time
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Mastrobuoni is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Diamondbacks.
Mastrobuoni started at third base in each of the Cubs' final five games before the All-Star break as well as Friday's 5-2 loss to Arizona, but he'll hit the bench for the second day in a row to close out the series with the Diamondbacks. The 28-year-old no longer looks slated to get regular playing time moving forward after the Cubs brought Mike Tauchman back from the injured list Friday.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Getting fifth straight start
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Mastrobuoni will start at third base and bat seventh in Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Since heading to the bench for Wednesday's 4-0 win over the Orioles, the lefty-hitting Mastrobuoni has re-emerged as a regular part of the Cubs' lineup against right-handed pitching. Mastrobuoni will close the first half of the season with his fifth consecutive start, with his uptick in playing time coinciding with Cody Bellinger's (finger) placement on the injured list Thursday. Mastrobuoni has gone 4-for-13 with an RBI and two runs over his prior four starts.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Drawing start at third base
Rotowire
Mastrobuoni will start at third base and bat eighth in Friday's game against the Angels.
Christopher Morel is getting a second straight day in the designated hitter spot, so Mastrobuoni will be tasked with handling the hot corner. It's his first start since he was recalled from Triple-A Iowa back on June 18.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Back in big leagues
Rotowire
Mastrobuoni was called up from Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday.
Mastrobuoni will return to the major-league roster after being sent down May 20, replacing Mike Tauchman (groin) with the Cubs after Tauchman was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday. Mastrobuoni produced a .264 average with three home runs, 14 RBI, 16 runs scored and four stolen bases over 87 at-bats in 22 games with Iowa since his demotion.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Tallies first three hits Saturday
Rotowire
Mastrobuoni went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 10-9 loss to the Pirates.
Mastrobuoni was productive from the No. 8 spot in the lineup and he recorded his first three hits of the season, as he came into the contest 0-for-14 across 10 games. The 28-year-old has bounced between Triple-A and the majors and serves in a utility role when he's with the Cubs, so he doesn't see a ton of regular playing time, which makes Saturday's performance an outlier.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Called up from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Cubs recalled Mastrobuoni from Triple-A Iowa on Saturday.
Mastrobuoni made the Cubs' Opening Day roster and was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on April 18 after Patrick Wisdom returned from a stint on the 10-day injured list due to a back injury. Mastrobuoni has appeared in 10 games for Iowa, slashing .231/.318/.436 with 10 runs, five doubles, one home run and four RBI over 44 plate appearances. Matt Mervis was sent down to Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Optioned to Iowa
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The Cubs optioned Mastrobuoni to Triple-A Iowa on Thursday, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
He was able to crack the Opening Day roster with Patrick Wisdom on the injured list before the season began. Mastrobuoni appeared in just eight games and only reached base once on a walk across 13 plate appearances. In a corresponding move, Wisdom was activated from the 10-day injured list.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Vying for final bench role
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Mastrobuoni seems likely to secure a utility role with the Cubs out of spring training, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.
The Cubs have a few options for bench spots, but Mastrobuoni likely has an inside track due to his left-handed bat and his defensive versatility. The 28-year-old had some nice moments toward the end of last year, though he finished with just a .609 OPS across 61 games and doesn't profile as a great fantasy asset in 2024.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Recalled from Iowa
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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. Tucker Barnhart was DFA'd in a corresponding move.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Sent to Triple-A
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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.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Settling in at third base
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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.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Nabs steal
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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.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Back in big leagues
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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.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Optioned to Triple-A
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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 head back to the minors to make room for the promising prospect. Mastrobuoni holds an impressive .949 OPS in Iowa this season, but has yet to put it together in Chicago, where that figure sits at just .431.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Gets second start of series
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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.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Continues solid spring
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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.
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Cubs' Miles Mastrobuoni: Dealt to Cubs
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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.
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Rays' Miles Mastrobuoni: Gets first call to majors
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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 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.
