Moisés Ballesteros DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Chicago Cubs catching prospect Moises Ballesteros went 1-for-3 with his fifth home run of the season on Wednesday for Triple-A Iowa. The 21-year-old was unstoppable before being called up for a brief stint in the majors and was optioned back to Iowa on May 20. Over the first four games back at Triple-A, the left-handed hitter went 2-for-17, but it seems the bat is waking back up this week, going 4-for-7 over the last two days, including a double on Tuesday and Wednesday's home run. The Cubs' backup catcher, Miguel Amaya, hit the injured list this past Sunday and is expected to be out 4-6 weeks, but instead of recalling Ballesteros, the team brought up Reese McGuire (who promptly hit two home runs in his first game after recall). McGuire is a veteran, so perhaps the first-place club is looking for some stability behind the plate to back up Carson Kelly, but Ballesteros should be back in the majors at some point later this season and could be a viable stash in two-catcher and NL-only leagues (again).

Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said that catching prospect Moises Ballesteros will be sent back to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday with outfielder Ian Happ (oblique) coming off the 10-day injured list. Ballesteros, the team's No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline, got his first major-league call-up when Happ landed on the IL and got some run as the designated hitter over the last 10 days. However, the 21-year-old Venezuelan backstop went just 3-for-16 at the plate with three RBI and three runs in five games and will now head back to the minors for more development. The good news, though, is that he walked twice and only struck out once in his first taste of the big leagues. If the Cubs need another bat later this year, Ballesteros could receive another call-up to Chicago.

Chicago Cubs catcher Moises Ballesteros is out of the starting lineup ahead of Wednesday's game against the Miami Marlins. Ballesteros will head to the bench after going 0-for-4 during his MLB debut on Tuesday. The rookie catcher is likely out of the lineup due to the fact the Cubs are facing left-hander Ryan Weathers in this one. Ballesteros figures to see regular playing time at designated hitter against right-handed pitching. Carson Kelly will serve as the designated hitter and bat cleanup versus Weathers on Wednesday. Ballesteros should be back in the lineup after this one and is worth an add in deep leagues.