Ward's injury gives Hoffpauir a shot
With Ward sluggish because of a bulging disk in his lower back, Cubs manager Lou Piniella hinted at the move earlier in the week, then announced Saturday that Hoffpauir would join the team in Houston. But Ward was unavailable to hit in the Cubs' 7-6 loss to the Pirates, so they made the move early. Ward went on the 15-day disabled list and Hoffpauir was added to the 40-man roster after his contract was selected from Triple-A.
Ward is hitting just .200 (5-for-25) but has come up big as a pinch-hitter on this homestand. Despite his back pain, he provided game-tying and game-winning hits in consecutive games against Arizona.
Piniella said Hoffpauir will get some at-bats early, be it off the bench or in the outfield. He can spell Derrek Lee at first as well.
"Hopefully, he swings the bat like he did in the past couple springs," Piniella said. "He'll be a valuable addition."
Hoffpauir, 28, has been a little snake-bitten by injuries the last three years, but the Cubs haven't ignored the way he's torn up Minor League pitching. A .281 hitter in 613 Minor League games, Hoffpauir worked his way into a prospect after he was taken in the 13th-round of the 2002 First-Year Player Draft. He hit a career-high .319 with 73 RBIs in 82 games with Iowa last year, but he was shelved for the season in early July with a left knee injury that resulted in microfracture surgery and robbed him of a chance at a promotion.
It was the second straight season that ended early for the 6-foot-3 left-handed hitter. During a four-month rehab process, he got to watch teammate Geovany Soto come up in September and become a starter and play alongside former I-Cubs like Ryan Theriot, Mike Fontenot and Felix Pie as Chicago made the playoffs.
"That was one of those things you have no control over," Hoffpauir said of his injury. "It happened, now I'm here. ... I can't complain at all. I'm living on a high. Being my first time in the big leagues, especially with the Cubs, is a great feeling."
Hoffpauir had his second good spring under Piniella as a non-roster invitee but missed the first month of the season with a strained left oblique. A first baseman by trade, he started playing more outfield when he returned from the injury to expedite his callup and responded by hitting .324 with three homers and 12 RBIs in nine games with Iowa. He homered in three straight games, driving in 10 runs.
"When you're behind a guy like Derrek Lee, who's going to play 150, 160 games, you have to take your chances where you have them," he said. "So I'll play outfield and first base as well, and we'll go from there."
Hoffpauir made his debut as a pinch-hitter in the sixth Sunday and the Pirates brought in lefty John Grabow to face him. Grabow gave him the traditional rookie greeting: strikeout by slider.
"[I was] a little anxious," he said. "I think it kind of showed a little bit. I had a couple of guys come by and say, 'Welcome to the big leagues.'"
Jon Greenberg is a contributor to MLB.com.