CHICAGO -- Javier Baez is on a roll, batting .321 in 23 games this month at Triple-A Iowa, but the infielder's success has not prompted the Cubs to want to promote him to the big league team right now.
"He's on a really good run right now," said Jason McLeod, Cubs senior vice president of scouting and player development. "The mindset is there. He had to deal with a lot in the offseason on a professional level and certainly with what took place with his family. He's in a good place right now."
Baez was a regular with the Cubs at the end of last season, but batted .169 in 52 games, striking out 95 times in 213 at-bats. He was projected as the starting second baseman, but the Cubs decided Baez needed more development, and he was assigned to Iowa. His sister, Noely, passed away in April, and Baez missed the first month of the season.
"All we're concerned about now is him maintaining this," McLeod said Tuesday of Baez. "He's someone who wants to come up here and help the team win. Those are conversations that take place every day."
The Cubs have emphasized to young players the need to be versatile, saying it could help them get to the big leagues quicker. Baez has played second and shortstop at Iowa, and there are no plans to move him to the outfield.
"He does kid around and will take fly balls in the outfield," McLeod said. "We might have him do some of those things. It wouldn't be predicated on what's happening here."
Why not have Baez play outfield?
"Who knows? It wouldn't be surprising if we did see him out there," McLeod said. "No plans are in the works to do that -- I want to make that clear. Because he does have the athleticism and the ability and he's a baseball player, I wouldn't be surprised to see him go out there and be pretty darn good."
