5/30 McLeod on Rizzo: “It shouldn’t be long”

Jason McLeod has heard buzz about Anthony Rizzo before. McLeod, now the senior vice president of scouting and player development for the Cubs, heard the same hype last year when Rizzo was in the Padres Minor League system.

“It’s deja vu, Jed [Hoyer] and I have been saying,” McLeod said Wednesday. “We went through the exact same thing last year. What I’m more happy about is not the numbers he’s putting up but the development we talked about. He has been working on some things mechancially and his approach and his day to day routine, and that’s what I’m most happy about for Anthony. He’s got a routine that’s working, he’s been successful, and I think because of what he went through with the anticipation of San Diego and the struggles when he got up, it’s made him a better player mentally. He’s much stronger coming out of that. He’s in his finishing stages now. It shouldn’t be too long before he’s up here. I think he’ll be a better player for going through that last year.”

Rizzo has not played since Sunday because of soreness in his right wrist. McLeod said he expected the first baseman to be back in Iowa’s lineup either Wednesday or Thursday.

– Carrie Muskat