MESA, Ariz.-- Xavier Nady made his Cubs debut Wednesday in a 5-1 loss to San Francisco, but is not expected to be able to play the outfield regularly until June, Lou Piniella said.
Until then, the Cubs will have to rely on Nady as a pinch-hitter and occasional fill-in in left and right fields. Nady signed a one-year $3.3 million contract after missing most of 2009 due to elbow reconstruction surgery.
Piniella said the Cubs will have to be cautious with Nady in the early going because of the "cold weather, (and) the fact that when you come off that Tommy John surgery, it takes a certain amount of time" to come back.
"That's why our trainer (Mark O'Neal) clings to around the first of June before we can put him out there on a more regular basis," Piniella said.
Nady repeatedly has said he has no timetable for when he will be ready to play regularly. But if he can't play more than a couple times a week until June, the Cubs will need a dependable fifth outfielder who can play all three spots, giving Sam Fuld an advantage over Micah Hoffpauir.
Nady went 1-for-2 with a walk in his debut at DH.
"Look, Nady can hit," Piniella said. "We've got to get him out on the field and get his at-bats. If we can get him on the field, Nady is going to do some damage with the bat."
But Nady is going to be a DH only for at least another week, before he gets some playing time in the outfield in the second half of the Cactus League games. Piniella was not concerned about Nady's arm in right or left.
"We don't care about throwing," he said. "He can throw the ball to the second baseman or throw the ball to the shortstop."
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Look at it this way. The Cubs won't be able to start Soriano, Byrd, and Fukudome in every single game until June. Since Nady won't be available to start, the Cubs will need to carry another outfielder who can play all three positions. Since the only other player who can do that who is in camp right now is Sam Fuld, then all you Sam Fuld fans should be happy because his chances of making the team out of spring training just went up. Also the chances of Kevin Millar making the team just went down since he would have been the full-time pinch hitter who never starts, which is what Nady will now be. It looks like the Cubs bench will round out this way:
Hill
Baker/Fontenot
Nady
Fuld
Tracy/Hoffpauir/Blanco/Colvin
Colvin is having a good spring so far, but I would think he needs more playing time in the minors before he is ready. I don't know if Hoffpauir or Blanco have options left either and Tracy is not on the 40-man roster, so it will be interesting to see who gets the final bench spot. Either way, now that we have one full-time pinch hitter, Kevin Millar should be thanked for his time with the Cubs this spring and sent on his way.
Bobby Locker I thought I sent you to purgatory. You are a moron who doesn't deserve to use the internet!
Why the hell didn't we sign Reed Johnson? He would have never done this to us. He was one of the best. I told Mr. Rickets and he agreed. Now we're in a pickle. Where is Kris Benson by the way?
What's a joke about it? It's not like they got damaged goods they knew nothing about. As far as everything is concerned for Nady, June would right about his timetable to play again so his rehab is right on schedule. He can pinch-hit and play the outfield one day a week until then. They signed him as a fourth outfielder knowing that it will be a while before he could play every day if needed, and come June he will fit that bill. $3.3 million will be a bargain if he plays the way he is capable of from then on.
Another brilliant signing by Jim Spendry. Three point three million dollars. What a joke.