First baseman Anthony Rizzo could be called up next month to make his debut with the Chicago Cubs, as manager Dale Sveum confirmed to Bruce Levine of ESPN Chicago. Rizzo has been mashing for Triple-A Iowa this season after being acquired from the San Diego Padres in a trade during the offseason.
Phil Rogers of the Chicago Tribune has some additional details on when exactly Rizzo might be promoted:
If you are looking for a date when Anthony Rizzo will join the Cubs, you should circle June 8 on your calendar. That's the Cubs' first road inter-league game, at Minnesota, and Dale Sveum says Rizzo could figure into the DH role. He's not going to be able to get much work that way, however, as the Cubs' only other series at an AL park is the June 18-20 series at U.S. Cellular Field.
This season, Rizzo has hit .353/.418/.706 with 14 homers over 170 plate appearances for Iowa. Over 583 plate appearances in Triple-A, nearly a full season of playing time, the 22-year-old has posted a stunning .338/.408/.668 line with 44 doubles and 40 homers.
For more news and updates from around the MLB, drop by Baseball Nation with Rob Neyer, or dig deeper into the stats at Beyond the Box Score. Also, check out the Cubs' team blog, Bleed Cubbie Blue.