Schwarber, Santana called up to Majors

Two more big bats are headed up to the Major Leagues, and thought their stints there may be brief, they may also be loud.

No. 2 Cubs prospect Kyle Schwarber and Astros' No. 3 prospect Domingo Santana are on the way to join their parent clubs. Catcher Schwarber will jump from Double-A Tennessee straight to Chicago to join the Cubs for six interleague games -- five in American League parks -- where he's expected to serve primarily as a designated hitter and a power bat off the bench. Santana will head to Houston as big league outfielder Colby Rasmus is placed on the bereavement list, Astros manager A.J. Hinch confirmed.

"It's still pretty fresh," Schwarber said Monday night. "I'm still pacing around the room trying to figure out what's going on, but no, it's going to be an exciting couple of days. I'm really excited about the opportunity."

Schwarber, baseball's No. 42 overall prospect, leapfrogged Triple-A and headed for the big leagues. Double-A Smokies teammate Daniel Vogelbach broke the news on Twitter.

Congrats to my bash brother @kschwarb12 on the call to the show. Gonna miss my boy but couldn't be more happy for a better dude. Go ball out

- Daniel Vogelbach (@DanielVogelbach) June 16, 2015

Chicago general manager Theo Epstein told the Chicago Tribune that the backstop would be with the big club only for the next six days to "contribute as a designated hitter, as a bat off the bench and as a third catcher."

Schwarber was given the news by Tennessee manager Buddy Bailey. Also in attendance for the meeting in Bailey's office was Cubs assistant general manager Randy Bush, who confirmed Chicago's plan.

"He told me the whole deal about the six days. I'll be up there for six days and then I'll head back down to Des Moines," said Schwarber, who will join Triple-A Iowa for the first time after his week in the big leagues.

"I'm excited about being able to get the opportunity to go there, compete, learn, get to be around the catching coordinator, be around big league catchers, just being able to hopefully contribute. That'll be all worth it. I'll get a little taste and then go to Triple-A and work my way back."

While Schwarber was getting the news, his teammates were anxiously awaiting it as well.

"Once I came out of Buddy's office, they were all kind of huddled around, and they asked what's going on. I said 'I'm going to 'The Show,' and they all started jumping up and down, going crazy."

The Indiana product has raked at the Double-A level, batting .320/.438/.579 with 13 homers and 39 RBIs in 58 games. Since being taken with the fourth overall pick last year, Schwarber has played at four different levels and posted a 1.043 career OPS while bashing 31 homers and driving in 92 runs.

"There's a little bit more maturity with me right now," he said. "I just got that first [season] under the belt, and I kind of knew what it was going to be like. Going into Spring Training, getting myself prepared for that, it's all a grind. The season's been going pretty well for me. I felt like I would be ready for it, and like I said, I'm excited about the opportunity I'm about to get."
    
The 22-year-old is the latest in a series of top talent to make the move to the Majors in his organization. Kris Bryant and Addison Russell, the Cubs' No. 1 and No. 2 prospects entering the season, have spent the majority of this season at the Major League level.

Meanwhile, Santana is the latest big name in the Astros system to be ticketed for Minute Maid Park. In 56 games for Triple-A Fresno, the outfield prospect posted a .320/.444/.584 slash line with 11 home runs and 38 RBIs. Santana is riding the longest active on-base streak in Triple-A, having reached in 34 consecutive games and was just named the Pacific Coast League's Offensive Player of the Week.

The 22-year-old saw time in six big league games last year but didn't record a hit, going 0-for-17 with 14 strikeouts and one walk.

Santana becomes the fourth player in the Astros' Top 10 to reach the Major Leagues this season along with Houston's top prospect, shortstop Carlos Correa and pitchers Vincent Velasquez (No. 4) and Lance McCullers (No. 10).

Rasmus, who homered in Monday night's game for the Astros, can be on the Major League bereavement list from three to seven days.