CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs activated Joc Pederson from the 10-day injured list on Monday, giving the slugger a chance to face his former team.
Pederson was in the starting lineup for Chicago’s series opener against the Los Angeles Dodgers, leading off and playing left field. He had been sidelined by left wrist tendinitis.
Catcher Willson Contreras joined Pederson in the lineup for his first start since he left Friday night’s 8-6 loss at Cincinnati with tightness in his right thigh. But Ian Happ was out a day after he was involved in a scary collision with Nico Hoerner in short center field.
The 29-year-old Pederson was selected by Los Angeles in the 11th round of the 2010 amateur draft. He hit .230 with 130 homers and 303 RBIs while spending his first seven seasons with the Dodgers, winning the World Series last year.
Pederson became a free agent after last season and finalized a $7 million, one-year contract with Chicago in February. He hit just .137 with a homer and four RBIs in his first 16 games with his new team.
The Cubs sent right-hander Keegan Thompson to their alternate site to make room on the roster. Thompson, who pitched a scoreless inning in his big league debut Sunday at Cincinnati, is expected to join Triple-A Iowa when its season begins.
The decision to send Thompson down keeps Hoerner on the roster after he was promoted when Pederson went on the IL last month. Hoerner is off to a strong start, hitting .389 with seven RBIs in his first 11 games.
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hun/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
