2/23 DeWitt’s strange journey back

Blake DeWitt had a strange few weeks. He signed a new contract with the Cubs, then was designated for assignment, placed on waivers, which he cleared, then had to make a decision about whether to stay. He arrived Thursday as a non-roster invitee after a long drive from his Missouri home.

“I had a decision to make and I’m extremely happy being here today,” DeWitt said. “Driving out here, it was one of those things, I’m ready to get back on the field, ready to get back to playing. That’s one of the things that I think was weird about the whole situation. This time of year as a player, you’re ready to get back on the field, and to not know where you’re going to be was kind of strange.”

DeWitt, who batted .265 last season with the Cubs, finds himself in the same situation as before — fighting for a spot on the roster.

“It’s no different,” he said. “Regardless, you’re coming in to win a job. It’s the same approach I’m going to take. I’m not going to put any stress on myself to try to make this team. I’m just going to go out and play and have fun and let things happen.”

He did not get a call from the Cubs when he was designated for assignment.

“My agent called me,” DeWitt said. “It was all unknown to me. I didn’t know what was going on, I didn’t know the rules. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t too worried about it, I guess.”

The good part of his journey is that he enjoyed the drive to Arizona.

“It was fun, seeing parts of the country I’ve never seen,” he said.

– Carrie Muskat