Bryant, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2013, was selected the minor league player of the year last season after hitting .325 with 43 home runs and 110 RBIs in Double-A and Triple-A. Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Heralded prospect Kris Bryant will bat cleanup and play third base for the Chicago Cubs in his major league debut against the San Diego Padres on Friday.
The 23-year-old Bryant will replace third baseman Mike Olt on the Cubs’ roster. Olt went on the disabled list with a hairline fracture in his right wrist after being hit by a pitch against the Colorado Rockies last weekend.
Bryant took to Twitter late Thursday night: “Today I got to tell my family that my dream is coming true. Can’t really put into words what that feels like. So excited for this journey!”
The power-hitting Bryant was hitting .321 (9-for-28) at Triple-A Iowa after hitting his third home run Thursday night against New Orleans.
Bryant led the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues this spring with nine home runs and had a .477 batting average in 40 at-bats, but he started the season in the minors because of a controversial rule in the collective bargaining agreement. That rule states a player is credited with a full year of service time if he is in the majors for 172 days out of the 183-day season. Keeping a player in the minors for the first 11 days of the season allows a team to retain his rights for an extra year before he becomes a free agent.
By waiting until Friday to bring Bryant to the big leagues, the Cubs will retain his rights for an extra year before he is eligible to become a free agent in 2021.
Bryant, the No. 2 overall draft pick in 2013, was selected the minor league player of the year last season after hitting .325 with 43 home runs and 110 RBIs in Double-A and Triple-A.
