Addison Russell Demoted to Triple-A by Cubs After Willson Contreras' IL Return

The Chicago Cubs optioned second baseman Addison Russell to their Triple-A affiliate, the Iowa Cubs, on Wednesday, the team announced.

Chicago demoted Russell to make room for Willson Contreras on the 25-man roster. Russell is batting .247 with six home runs and 16 RBI in 55 games this year.

Russell's development has stagnated since he was an All-Star in 2016, with Javier Baez's rise further highlighting his lack of progress.

His demotion added to a 2019 season that's falling well short of expectations.

The 25-year-old didn't debut until Chicago's 3-2 win over the Miami Marlins on May 8 because he was serving the remainder of a 40-game suspension for a violation of MLB's Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy after his ex-wife, Melisa Reidy, said he physically and emotionally abused her during their marriage. He opened the season at Triple-A when his suspension ended.

Among second basemen with at least 100 plate appearances, Russell ranks 29th in weighted on-base average (.310) and 31st in weighted runs created plus (90), per FanGraphs.

It seems fair to question Russell's long-term future with the Cubs. Baez is firmly entrenched at shortstop, and top prospect Nico Hoerner is waiting in the wings. MLB.com ranks the 22-year-old shortstop as the Cubs' No. 1 prospect and the No. 50 prospect in MLB. Until this year, Russell had played short exclusively since August 2015, his rookie season.

Russell has two more years of arbitration remaining before he's eligible for free agency. The Cubs might be able to find a suitor for him prior to the July 31 trade deadline or more likely in the offseason.

The Cubs have provided Russell with ample time to make strides as a hitter, and it hasn't happened. Through five years, he's batting .242 and slugging .393.

A change of scenery might be the only thing that could get his career back on track.