The Cubs took the fairly unusual precaution of flying shortstop Alex Arias across the country Wednesday so he could be available for the final game of the West Coast trip.
Arias was called up from Triple-A Iowa to take the place of infielder Jose Vizcaino, who tore the tendon sheath on a finger of his left hand while trying to check his swing against the Padres Tuesday night.
”We just felt we needed some protection with Vizcaino on the DL,” said General Manager Larry Himes of the decision to fly Arias in for one game.
Arias, a third-round pick by the Cubs in the 1987 draft, was batting .270 at Iowa.
Vizcaino was 10 for 25 (.400) in his last six games with two triples and six runs batted in.
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”What a big loss,” said manager Jim Lefebvre. ”Jose was coming up with some big hits for us lately.”
Arias was with the Cubs May 8-20 but made only one appearance, as a pinch-runner and defensive replacement against Houston. His speed could be an asset for the Cubs down the stretch.
Numbers game: Arias is lost in the shuffle again in trying to get a uniform number. He will wear No. 50 because his preferred 21 belongs to Sammy Sosa. When he was called up earlier this year, Arias wore 24, but that belongs to Steve Buechele now. Every other number from 1 to 68 is either retired, taken by someone on the 40-man roster or used by a coach, instructor or manager. The only reason 50 is available is because it belonged to pitcher Les Lancaster, who is with the Detroit Tigers now.
Top five: Vizcaino is the fifth Cub currently on the disabled list. Three of them-Sosa, Shawon Dunston and Dave Smith-are out for the season. The fourth, pitcher Shawn Boskie, is on rehabilitation assignment in the minors and could be back within two weeks. Fellow pitcher Mike Harkey missed his scheduled start Tuesday night with a groin injury but won`t go on the DL. Even if he can`t pitch the next time out, the Cubs are better off keeping him active. If they put him on the DL, he would be lost for at least 15 days. If they need a replacement, they can get help in less than a week, on Sept. 1., when rosters expand to 40.