Jake Fox - Fantasy News & Updates
Jake Fox - Fantasy News & Updates
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A tumultuous ’09 campaign ended on a low note for Bradley, who was suspended for the final two weeks of the season after he said the Cubs “were not a positive environment”. Despite being just one year into a three-year, $30 million deal with Chicago, the volatile veteran is being actively shopped by the club. If general manager Jim Hendry is able to move him, that could pave the way for 27-year-old Jake Fox -- who batted .259 with 11 homers and 44 RBIs in 216 at-bats -- to assume a more regular role in 2010. No matter where he is, there will be a fair share of risk associated with investing in Bradley next season.
Fox was in the midst of a quiet September until Sunday, as he produced just five hits in 20 at-bats entering the day. The Cubs have had difficulty trying to find a consistent role for the rookie, but he’s shown the kind of power that could help him carve out a more prominent role on next year’s team.
Johnson has been sidelined since July 30 after fouling a ball off his left foot. The right-handed hitting outfielder was used in a platoon with Kosuke Fukudome in center field. Johnson was hitting .306 against left-handers, compared to Fukudome's .174 against southpaw pitchers. Skipper Lou Piniella's right-handed options now include rookies Jake Fox and Sam Fuld. A free agent after this season, Johnson was batting .252 in 59 games with four homers, seven doubles and 20 RBIs.
It looked as though Soriano would be able to cope with the discomfort he had experienced for several months when he received a cortisone shot in the knee on Aug. 30. Alas, the manager Lou Piniella felt it was in the best interest of Soriano's future health to shut him down, with the possibility that he could be finished for the season. The Cubs will let Soriano sit before reassessing his status at an undisclosed time. Sam Fuld and Jake Fox are poised to replace Soriano in left field during his absence.
Soriano received a cortisone shot for the knee on Aug. 30 and needed an extra day to recover from the soreness of the shot before returning to play. It's not inconceivable that he might need a periodic day of rest between now and the end of the season, so keep an outfielder in reserve. Jake Fox, who had started in left field while Soriano was out, returned to the bench on Tuesday.
Fox has shown signs of busting out, with Saturday's performance and a four-hit night on Aug. 23 the most notable of his efforts lately. His playing time has been shuffled around as Aramis Ramirez and Alfonso Soriano have remained in the lineup at third base and left field, respectively. If either go down again, Fox will likely be the first choice to replace either player.
He's back in the fold after missing two games with a sore left knee. Soriano had stated after being scratched just before Tuesday's game that he wanted an MRI, but Cubs doctors resisted the notion that he needed more pictures on his knee. Instead, they prescribed applying more medication and rest for the knee and it turns that's just what the outfielder needed to get back in the batting order. He returned to the No. 6 spot, knocking Jake Fox back to the bench.
Soriano had been planning to return to the Cubs batting order after missing their Aug. 23 game, but his knee still doesn't feel right. "It's been tight for three or four days," Soriano said. Soriano will receive treatment in the meantime, and if the injury doesn't subside, then he might receive an MRI. Jake Fox has been starting in left field during his absence, but Soriano could be back in the lineup for Wednesday's game.
Fox needed a performance like this, as he had just three hits in his last 19 at-bats over the last eight games. The rookie hot cornerman has come back to earth in August after a scorching first two months in the bigs, batting .291 with four extra-base hits and eight RBIs in 18 affairs. On the season, he’s hitting .305 with 34 RBIs in 58 games.
Manager Lou Piniella has gone out of his way to praise Soriano's hard work as he attempts to break out of this slump, but given Piniella's predilection for the hot hand, owners have to wonder whether Soriano might lose some time in left field to Jake Fox or Sam Fuld in the near term. The speedy Fuld is hitting .307 and reaching base at a .407 clip in 46 at-bats; Fox is slugging .521 and has a .288-8-32 line in 146 at-bats.
While he was out of the first five with a sore left shoulder, the reason for his absence in the Cubs' last two games has been a head cold, including a sore throat. Jake Fox got the starting nod at third base, as he had for the previous six games Ramirez missed.
That’s three consecutive multi-hit efforts for Fox since an 0-for-7 stretch. The 27-year-old third baseman has done an excellent job filling in primarily for the injured Aramis Ramirez, batting .305 with eight homers, 29 RBIs and a .914 OPS in his second big league stint. He is certainly a legitimate option in any deeper mixed league.
Fox is a fine hitter, but Cubs fans and fantasy owners alike really want to know when Ramirez will be back in the lineup. Unfortunately, no one seems to have an answer at present. Ramirez will meet with team physicians on Tuesday, but he's still in too much pain to play after two days of rest and treatment. The Cubs will weigh placing him on the DL if his situation doesn't improve.
Ramirez spent nearly two months on the DL earlier in the season with a dislocated left shoulder. He suffered the injury May 5 in Milwaukee after diving for a ground ball. Jake Fox entered the game at third base in the bottom of the fifth inning Saturday. Stay tuned.
Bradley, who is batting .239 overall with six homers and 21 RBIs, was out of Sunday's lineup and figures to miss the next few Cubs games as he gets his swing back on track. "I had a nice talk with Bradley today, and I'm going to work with him personally for a while to see if we can get him going," Piniella said. Jake Fox, who is batting .326, will likely be in the outfield in place of Bradley when the Cubs begin a three-game series Monday against the Phillies.
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