Cubs infielder Addison Russell has finished serving the 40-game suspension he received late last season under MLB's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy. Thereupon, the Cubs on Thursday reinstated Russell from the restricted list, added him to the 40-man roster, and optioned him to Triple-A. To make room on the 40-man for Russell, they moved Brandon Morrow to the 60-day IL.
Russell has been playing for Triple-A Iowa, which he was permitted to do under terms of the suspension, and the Cubs have opted to keep him there rather than adding him to the 25-man roster.
This decision makes sense on multiple levels. First, the Cubs don't need Russell in Chicago right now. Javier Baez, the team's best player, is more than capable of holding down shortstop (our own Matt Snyder recently wrote that Baez should remain at the position), and with David Bote, Daniel Descalso, and Ben Zobrist on the roster they have plenty of options at second base. Russell is capable of plus fielding in the infield and occasional power from the right side, but he doesn't have much in the way of on-base skills and has shown little skills growth at the plate.
On another, more important level, Russell's return would be a source of much controversy. Russell's suspension stemmed from allegations of abuse from his ex-wife, Melisa Reidy. On Sept. 19 of last year, Reidy detailed the alleged domestic abuse in a post on her personal blog. MLB's subsequent investigation found that Russell had violated league policies to the extent that a suspension was warranted. The Cubs' decision to tender a contract to Russell that past offseason was generally not well received, and Epstein has mentioned on multiple occasions that Russell isn't guaranteed a return to Chicago.
As of this most recent decision, it seems that's still the case.
