Soon, the Cubs will have to decide what to do with center-fielder Jerome Walton, who has been on the 15-day disabled list since March 28.
Walton was eligible to come off the DL Sunday, but General Manager Larry Himes said nothing had been decided.
The Cubs already have a full roster, so when Walton comes back, something will have to give.
One possibility is a trade. Another is to put someone else on the disabled list. Or the Cubs could send someone back to the minors or release a player.
There has been talk of putting shortstop Shawon Dunston on the disabled list to let his stiff hamstring heal completely, but Dunston says he will be ready to play soon.
Walton was running the bases at full speed before Sunday`s game, and said afterward he feels fine. He said he expects to come off the disabled list by Tuesday, when the Cubs start a six-day, five-game trip to Pittsburgh and St. Louis.
Hot-hitting hurlers: Who needs the designated-hitter rule, anyway? Excluding home run hitter Hector Villanueva and fellow catcher Joe Girardi, who was 2 for 4 Saturday, the hottest hitters on both teams at Wrigley last weekend were the pitchers. Cubs reliever Chuck McElroy was 2 for 2 with a triple Saturday, and Greg Maddux had a double and scored the Cubs` first run Sunday. Not to be outdone, St. Louis starter Omar Olivares had a single and a walk and scored both runs for the Cardinals Sunday.
Hitting bottom: Third baseman Gary Scott has been flawless in the field this year, but he`s struggling again at the plate. His early numbers are even worse than 1991, when the Cubs gave up on him after just 31 games. The lowest his average fell last season was .130. Sunday, he was at .105 before a seventh-inning single brought him back to .150. Manager Jim Lefebvre vows to have more patience with Scott than Don Zimmer did last year. Scott has been a .300- plus hitter through his college and minor-league career.
Hawk`s coming back: Right-fielder Andre Dawson sat out the last two games with sore knees but says he will be back in the lineup when the Cubs hit the road despite the fact that all five games of the trip will be on artificial turf.
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May-be: Left-handed-hitting outfielder Derrick May, the last position player the Cubs sent down this spring, is on a tear for Iowa. He went 4 for 4 with two doubles, a triple and four RBIs Saturday night. In his first two games, he was 5 for 7 with five RBIs.