The Cubs are sending Jerome Walton to Triple-A Iowa so the outfielder can play for a while before they take him off the disabled listed.
Walton has been on the DL since March 28 with a strained groin. The injury has healed, but he hasn`t played for nearly three weeks.
Officially, Walton is on a 20-day rehabilitation assignment. But he won`t necessarily spend 20 days with Iowa. He expects to be back much sooner than that.
Manager Jim Lefebvre said Walton would play left field at least part of the time with Iowa.
Walton has played center field in all but one of his 340 major-league appearances. The lone exception was last year`s season finale against St. Louis, when he started in right. But Walton apparently has lost his center-field job to Sammy Sosa.
No problem: Walton stayed with the team in Pittsburgh Wednesday night and took batting practice after learning about his the rehab assignment. He will report to Iowa Thursday. Walton, who has a reputation for being sullen and moody when things go badly, said he was looking forward to hitting in game conditions and would be ready to play left field if that`s where the Cubs want him. ”It doesn`t matter where I play,” he said. ”As long as I`m on the field.”