(670 The Score) The Cubs have activated catcher Willson Contreras from the injured list and optioned infielder Addison Russell to Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move, they announced Wednesday.
Russell's demotion comes as he has struggled from a physical and mental standpoint on the diamond. He's hitting .247 with six homers, 16 RBIs and a .733 OPS in 55 games and has made a series of mental mistakes recently. Those troubles have included baserunning gaffes, an acknowledgement that he doesn't know the signs and miscommunications defensively.
"Honestly, it's really in the player's hands at this point," manager Joe Maddon said of Russell's struggles the Bernstein & McKnight Show on 670 The Score on Tuesday. "He's been here for several years, and I assure you the conversations have been there constantly. We've worked through this in the past and at some point it's up to the players to make this adjustment too."
Russell missed the first month of the season as he finished serving a 40-game suspension for violating the league's joint domestic violence policy.
"The conversations between he and I and also infield coaches and baserunning coaches, we've had these conversations," Maddon said. "We just need to get Addy to, it's more of a how do you go through the permutations mentally before the play occurs? How do you visualize in advance? That's what I'm really, really after is to get him to the point where he sees things before they occur, which would equal focus. That's where we're at."
Contreras had been sidelined since July 13 with a foot strain. He's hitting .286 with 19 homers, 55 RBIs and a .947 OPS in 78 games.
