Moises Ballesteros Sent Down After a June That Got Away From Him

The Chicago Cubs gave Moises Ballesteros a real look as their designated hitter against righties, and for a minute there it looked like a smart gamble. He opened the season hot. Then May happened. Then June happened. And now Ballesteros is packing for Triple-A Iowa.

The Cubs made it official Tuesday, optioning the 22-year-old slugger down and recalling outfielder Justin Dean to take his spot on the active roster. The team put out a short statement: “Justin Dean recalled. Moises Ballesteros optioned to Triple-A Iowa.” No drama. Just business.

Ballesteros got off to a promising start in March and April, racking up 24 hits, five home runs and 16 RBIs. He looked like the kind of bat the Cubs could lean on in the middle of their order. But the calendar flipped, and so did his swing. Since May 1 he has been grinding. And June was especially rough.

Through 26 at-bats this month, Ballesteros managed just six hits. Zero home runs. Three RBIs. He batted .231 with a .286 on-base percentage, struck out six times and drew only two walks. For a guy who was supposed to provide pop, that production just wasn’t going to cut it.

For the season, Ballesteros is hitting .231 with a .303 OBP, 36 hits, six homers and 23 RBIs over 59 games. A deeper look shows his numbers are heavily front-loaded. He collected 24 of those hits and five of those home runs in March and April. Since May 1 the power has essentially vanished.

The Cubs are sitting at 39-36, right in the thick of the NL Central race. They can’t afford to carry a cold bat in the lineup every day, especially one that isn’t providing much defensive value. Ballesteros is mostly a DH option, so when he’s not hitting, he’s not helping. Sending him down to work through his struggles in Iowa makes sense for both sides.

Justin Dean brings a different skill set — more speed, better defense, a little more versatility in the outfield. He’s not going to slug his way into the headlines, but the Cubs clearly feel they need a spark off the bench and a more reliable defensive option late in games.

As for Ballesteros, this is probably not the end of his story in Chicago. The kid can hit when he’s locked in. He just needs to find that groove again. Triple-A is the place to do it.