(670 The Score) The Cubs will recall infielder/outfielder Ian Happ from Triple-A Iowa, general manager Jed Hoyer confirmed on 670 The Score on Thursday afternoon.
The switch-hitting Happ will join the team ahead of its game at Milwaukee on Friday evening. Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register first reported the news. Hoyer declined to reveal the corresponding roster move, though the expectation is that a member of the bullpen will be optioned to Triple-A Iowa.
Happ will primarily play outfield for the Cubs but could "potentially" see time at second base based on matchups, Hoyer said.
"We're excited to get him back, and hopefully he can provide a nice shot in the arm for us," Hoyer said on the McNeil & Parkins Show.
Happ has spent the entire season at Triple-A after being demoted there late in spring training in a surprise move. Happ has been hot lately, hitting .333 with three homers and nine walks in his past 10 games. Happ is hitting .242 with 16 homers, 53 RBIs and a .795 OPS in 99 games at Triple-A this season.
The Cubs wanted him work on cutting down on his strikeouts and "get on top of some balls better," specifically from the left side, Hoyer said.
"He was a total pro about this," Hoyer said. "He went down there and knew this was about making some adjustments and he knew this was going to be process over result. We've been in communication with Ian a ton. He really stayed upbeat, and this last stretch has been his best stretch so far. We felt like this is definitely the right time to do it. I give him a lot of credit for staying patient and staying true to what we've talked about. He's been great. Hopefully he can come up here and perform for us like he has in the past."
After a strong rookie season in 2017, Happ regressed in 2018, hitting .233 with 15 homers, 44 RBIs and a .761 OPS in 142 games. The Cubs demoted him after he struggled mightily in the spring, when he hit .135 with a .389 OPS in 52 at-bats across 17 games.
Happ's addition will come at a time in which the Cubs' bench has been largely unproductive.
Near the end of March, president of baseball operations Theo Epstein explained the reasoning behind Happ's demotion and what the organization wanted to see from him.
"You're talking about a 24-year-old with an over an .800 OPS in his career who has already done some really impressive things in a major league career that's less than two years (old)," Epstein said. "This adjustment is -- without going into too much detail about it -- it's really something that will allow him to be a little bit more well-rounded hitter and put the ball in play on a more consistent basis when he gets to two strikes without taking away from his strengths. It's a real delicate balance because there's sort of a contact-vs.-power trade-off in this game, especially against this modern pitching where it's really hard to do both sometimes and learn how to strike just the right balance. In his case, because everyone has to make adjustments, there had been, his great physical tools had been mitigated to some degree -- he was still an effective player -- but to some degree by some difficulties making contact in certain situations and with two strikes. So this adjustment, this process will lead to long-term improvement that allows his great tools and his great plate discipline, his ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark, his ability to hit the ball hard and in the air and hit opposite-field home runs and run the bases great and play really good defense at multiple position, these adjustments will allow all those tools to manifest on a nightly basis.
"It's a small, small step backward for a big step forward. Everyday at-bats at Triple-A is the right forum for this adjustment to take place."
