Swinging hot bat, reserve infielder Pedro Ramirez impressing Cubs with work in limited playing time

ST. LOUIS — The Pedro Ramirez Experience has been a good one for the Cubs .

The young infielder has impressed team brass in his first taste of the big leagues this season, settling nicely into a reserve role.

Ramirez, who was among the Cubs’ highest rated prospects when the season began, has managed to stay effective while not playing every day.

Coming into Monday, he owned a seven-game hit streak, batting .440 with a quartet of multi-hit performances during the stretch.

“He’s really handled a lot of these situations really well, like not playing every day, still being productive,” manager Craig Counsell said last week. “And defensively, he’s been really good, as well, especially at third base. He’s been excellent. There’s a lot to like.

“For a 22-year-old to come up and play sporadically and be on the bench and still be a contributor, it’s been fun to watch.”

Limited playing time can sometimes work against a player, and the Cubs have stated their intent to cycle through youngsters like outfielder Kevin Alcantara , infielder James Triantos and slugger Moises Ballesteros with a different roster spot. Turns in the majors have included and figure to continue to include going back down to keep from rusting on the bench.

Ramirez hasn’t rusted, though. He brought a .305 batting average into Monday, with an OPS-plus of 122, making him 22 percent more productive than the average major league hitter, a group that includes a lot of guys with a lot more big league experience.

As the Cubs chart their future — and Jed Hoyer goes to work ahead of next week’s trade deadline, with young players part of the equation — Ramirez has made a mighty positive first impression.

“We’ve talked about not playing,” Counsell said. “[Before the All-Star break], in Cincinnati, we were in a stretch where he wasn’t playing that much. … It’s the first time it’s ever happened to him. For guys like Pedro — you’re 22, you’re in the big leagues already — you have never not come to the field and [wondered whether] you’re in the lineup. You play every day.

“We had a good conversation about that. But he understands all that. He’s got a really good frame of reference for it. His work on those types of things have been the right kind of work. He’s just kind of ahead of it. He’s ahead of how you approach situations, and that’s really impressive.”

Cabrera’s comeback

Right-handed starting pitcher Edward Cabrera is nearing a minor league rehab assignment on his way back from a strained hamstring that’s kept him out for a month.

Cabrera will pitch Friday with Triple-A Iowa, the first of three planned rehab outings.

Should all go well, he figures to return to the Cubs’ rotation in the middle of August.

While getting Cabrera back will be a big deal for a Cubs pitching staff that’s still dealing with the effects of an avalanche of injuries, he’s yet to deliver the type of results the team hoped he would when he was acquired in an offseason trade, owning a 5.10 ERA in 14 starts.

Rhymes with pants

The Cubs brought righty reliever Andrew Wantz up to the big league team after designating veteran righty Jameson Taillon for assignment Monday.

Wantz joined the organization at the beginning of June after he was let go by the Rays.

He had some good seasons with the Angels, posting a 3.85 ERA over three seasons from 2021 to 2023.

He had a 4.32 ERA in 25 innings across seven outings with the I-Cubs.

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