Javier Baez could be close to return to the Chicago Cubs as the infielder it set to join the team's Extended Spring Training where he will recover the lost ABs due to the leave of absence that has kept him out of the picture since April 8th.
Manager Joe Maddon said earlier this week that Javier Baez was "close to joining the big league club" but at the same time, he made clear that the organization "wanted him to take as much time as possible" to heal his wounds. It's certainly not an easy thing to lose a relative but Baez is reportedly set to resume his baseball activities and he's expected to travel to Arizona in the coming days. It has also been reported that, once he's ready, he will join Triple-A Iowa.
The 22-year-old Baez was the first of a bunch of hyped propsects to reach the Majors and even though he displayed the traits that made him known at the Minor League level - his insane bat speed and his tremendous power - he also displayed an alarming strike out rate, getting fanned in more than 40% of his at-bats last year. Things didn't improve much during Winter Ball or Spring Training and he was ultimately outplayed by the likes of Kris Bryant and Addison Russell, both who are with the MLB club as of now.
Baez will certainly hope to focus solely on baseball. It's a tough task to do but he's known for being able to overcome slow starts and he usually ends up dominating every single he's been in. He only needs to show it at the MLB level and a strong showing at EST could certainly boost his chances of becoming a regular name in the Chicago Cubs lineup in the near future.
Baez had a disappointing first season with the Cubs on 2014 with a slash line of .169/.227/.324 with nine HRs and 95 strikeouts in 52 games.