Cubs’ Craig Counsell: ‘There’s a chance’ Cody Bellinger could return from the IL this homestand

Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger could return from the injured list as soon as this series against the Padres, manager Craig Counsell revealed Monday.

“If we’re going on the path that we’re going on, he will not do a rehab assignment,” Counsell said. “And, yeah, there’s a chance that he’s back on the homestand.”

Bellinger (fractured right ribs) went through a workout Monday that included hitting and defense. Right fielder Seiya Suzuki (strained right oblique) joined him and also went through a running progression.

While Bellinger has been sidelined for less than two weeks, Suzuki hasn’t played in a game since April 14. So, Suzuki is scheduled to go on a rehab assignment before he’s activated from the 10-day IL. Until they finished the full workout, Counsell didn’t want to commit to a timeline for either player.

“They got a lot of swings in,” Counsell said of their live batting practice session. “So far, a good day.”

When the two return from the IL, the Cubs will find themselves with a wealth of outfielders. In addition to left fielder Ian Happ and resident fourth outfielder Mike Tauchman, the team recalled Alexander Canario and Pete Crow-Armstrong to help fill in for Suzuki and Bellinger.

There won’t be room for all of them on the roster. For prospects, teams have to not only weigh how they’re performing but also their development path.

Bullpen churn

The bullpen roster churn, which can be expected to continue all season, saw another change on Monday. To activate lefty Justin Steele from the 15-day IL to start against the Padres, the Cubs optioned reliever Keegan Thompson to Triple-A Iowa.

Rookie Ben Brown, whose last two appearances were starts, will be “involved in the bullpen this series,” Counsell said.

Brown being used as a reliever is one example of how rotation health can improve the bullpen. But president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said he also expects other factors to contribute, including internal improvement and potential external additions.

“But that stuff is generally not available this time of year,” Hoyer said. “And so the focus right now is on getting healthy and improving guys that might be struggling.”

The team in the opposite dugout was an exception to the trend when they traded for second baseman Luis Arraez over the weekend. The Padres sent the Marlins reliever Woo-Suk Go and a trio of prospects to complete the deal.

“To be honest, I knew that trade was in the works,” Hoyer said of his reaction. “I’ve been talking with the Marlins in general, as we talk to different people, so that wasn’t a surprise. But I don’t expect that to kick off a ton of early deals. Maybe it’ll be earlier than usual, but it’s not going to be all of a sudden in mid-May everyone’s making a bunch of trades. I don’t expect that to happen.”

Hendricks rehab

Cubs right-hander Kyle Hendricks (strained low back) will make his second rehab start on Tuesday with Triple-A Iowa, the team announced. This comes after he threw five innings for Double-A Tennessee on Thursday.