Chicago Sports

MESA, Ariz. – Outfielders Clint Frazier and Michael Hermosillo hit it off from the beginning of Cubs camp.

“He’s great,” Frazier said. “I feel like we’d be friends on the outside. So, hopefully there’s enough room for both of us to get the shot that we’ve been trying to get.”

Setting a roster is a numbers game, and the reality is, the Cubs might not have enough spots to carry all six outfielders who are in camp with a week and a half left before opening day.

Major League Baseball and the MLB players association agreed to expand rosters by two spots to start the season. But with the injury and ramp-up concerns surrounding pitchers in this condensed spring training, those spots will likely go to extra arms.

“But it’s not just how things will shake out performance-wise,” Cubs manager David Ross said. “There’s big-picture stuff that we look at, as well.”

Pencil in Seiya Suzuki, who the Cubs signed to a five-year, $85 million contract this spring, into right field. Jason Heyward, who has shifted from right field to center, and Ian Happ are also projected to claim starting outfield jobs.

Happ, however, underwent an elbow procedure in February, and the Cubs will be monitoring the stress to his throwing arm. The Cubs could also consider platoons, necessitating an extra outfielder or two.

If shortstop Andrelton Simmons’ injury recovery drags out, the Cubs may have another roster spot to fill. He has been dealing with shoulder soreness and is scheduled to throw Tuesday, and the Cubs don’t want to rush him back.

If Simmons, or anyone else, did land on the injured list, the Cubs could use that extra spot to hold onto the full outfield group. But they could also put a player like Alfonso Rivas, who could add depth at first base and in the outfield, on the opening day roster.

“I think the competition’s been really good,” Cubs outfielder Rafael Ortega said through team interpreter Will Nadal. “I think it breeds results, it keeps us motivated. We have really good outfielders here.”

Ortega had a breakout year last season, especially against right-handed pitchers, who he logged a .321 batting average against. He’s had a slow start offensively this spring, going 2-for-16 in six games.

“I felt tense at the plate the past couple weeks,” Ortega said Monday. “But yesterday I felt really good, just getting that rhythm back, just hopefully in time, hopefully be on the team for the season, having that going into opening day.”

Frazier joined the Cubs this winter, signing on the eve of the lockout. Frazier, who entered Friday hitting .333 this spring, has a minor-league option year, unlike Ortega and Hermosillo.

“I don’t think I’m a Triple-A player,” Frazier said. “And hopefully they don’t think the same, and they look at me as a guy that can help them out for the next few years.”

Hermosillo’s first season with the Cubs last year was cut short by a forearm strain, but he said the experience was something to build off of.

“I think I was able to show some things last year,” he said. “Obviously, I would have liked to have been a little bit more consistent and better pinch-hitting wise, but I think I showed that there is some ability there and that, you know, given an opportunity that I can do some things.”

Hermosillo showed off his speed over the weekend, when his double got behind the center fielder at Peoria Sports Complex. Hermosillo flew all the way home.

Though this spring has been short, a lot can happen with over a week left.

“The guys I’m competing against, I’ve really enjoyed hanging out with them,” Frazier said. “I think at the end of the day – I know it’s a cliche answer – but it is weird how these things work themselves out.”

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NEW YORK – It actually was a solid point made by Patrick Williams on Monday.

The second-year forward was asked about falling short statistically in the Scottie Barnes comparison. After all, yes, they were a year apart, but same college, same role at Florida State, and almost the same body type.

Yet, as a rookie Barnes entered the night averaging 15.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Williams’ argument? How does anyone know he couldn’t have numbers like that for Toronto?

“It’s no secret to anybody on this team of what I can do offensively,” Williams said. “Maybe people on the outside don’t see that, but when you’re trying to win you have to do whatever it takes to win. It takes what it takes. Definitely I can be more aggressive on offense, in certain areas, but Scottie is in a different situation. Scottie doesn’t have a DeMar [DeRozan], he doesn’t have a Vooch [Nikola Vucevic]. He’s had to step into a scoring role.

“I don’t think [Toronto] came into the season thinking they would be winning as many games as they have, but he’s been playing well. I always wish nothing but the best for him. He’s been amazing. But it’s a little different because we have very different teams.”

That doesn’t mean Williams still doesn’t need to pick up his scoring at some point, but in only playing his 10th game of the season on Monday, he’s also been dropped into a tough situation. Like he did in Summer League, he would love to put up 19.3 shots per game. That’s just not realistic, however, with so much at stake these final seven regular-season games.

“For sure, winning is why I play this game,” Williams said. “Everybody doesn’t get what they want when you get a win. There’s a sacrifice to it. But there’s also the idea of no one knows exactly what every game will need. It has a life of its own. Whether you’re getting 20 shots in that game or not, just always being ready to come out and be aggressive for what’s needed. Winning is the top priority.

“Everybody on this team has crazy offensive potential. Defensively is where we need to lock in. So just coming back for me that’s been the focus.”

Coach Billy Donovan understood where Williams was coming from, but also needed his 20-year-old forward to stay aggressive. Whether it’s scoring, defense or just physically imposing his will on a play, keep an aggressive attitude.

“I think with Patrick to me it’s all mentality,” Donovan said. “It’s not his skillset, it’s not his body, it’s not his quickness or athleticism. He kind of came back in that first game against Toronto, and he really played well off the bench in a limited amount of minutes. Then he had a couple games there where you just didn’t feel him for two games. Then all of a sudden you come back against Cleveland and you kind of feel him.

“That has to be consistent. I mean his running, his athleticism, his size into the game. There’s plenty of opportunity for him to do that.”

Ball game

Lonzo Ball (left knee bone bruise) was still expected to restart his rehab program later this week. What Donovan did clear up, however, was there was no doomsday scenario in place where if the pain comes back the organization would just shut Ball down for the rest of the season.

“They have not said to me, ‘Hey, if we try and ramp him back up and he’s not responding …’ They haven’t said that to me yet,” Donovan said. “The encouraging part is Lonzo is really driving this as far as wanting to get back.”

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PALM BEACH, Fla. — As Ryan Poles sized up the work it would take to build the Bears into a winner, he saw clearly that quarterback Justin Fields was the centerpiece of their future.

And in order to build around him, he had to leave Khalil Mack in the past.

It was a bold move for Poles to undo the Bears’ biggest blockbuster trade of the past decade in his first six weeks on the job, and in doing so take a sledgehammer to a pass rush that was arguably the strongest part of the roster, but he believed it necessary.

Mack is still in his prime, but the Bears went 6-11 last season and need widespread renovation. Getting a second-round pick and clearing a massive salary-cap hit off the books eventually will help set up the infrastructure Fields needs.

“It was looking at where we needed to go,” Poles said. “It just seemed like the right time to do it in terms of value where we can help this team out now and in the future.

“I would understand why some people would be upset. It’s not easy for us to do, either, but… that is my job to do what I think is best for the organization for now and the future.”

Whatever Poles does with the resources the Mack trade brought in, plus the windfall of cap space and full set of draft picks coming next year, should be viewed through a lens of what it does for Fields. He’s the franchise quarterback for the foreseeable future, and no one else in the building will have more impact on whether the Bears turn this around.

Part of that equation is providing a defense to back him up, but Poles’ most significant task is constructing a viable offensive line, supplying Fields with dynamic playmakers and formulating an offense that fits his strengths.

Basically, he and Eberflus need to do the opposite of what predecessors Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy did.

It’s not clear that Poles has installed the necessary pieces around Fields for the upcoming season after he resisted the urge to splurge on high-priced wide receivers and offensive linemen in free agency and the trade market.

He picked up budget-friendly linemen in Lucas Patrick and Dakota Dozier, as well as affordable receivers in Byron Pringle and Equanimeous St. Brown. Any could be quality players, but they don’t look like game-changers at first glance. He also has two second-round picks and a third-rounder, but the draft is rife with uncertainty.

Reading into Poles’ comments since taking over, he seems to see sweeping out the dysfunction Fields endured in his rookie season as a big step toward him emerging as the quarterback the Bears hope he can be. Clearing out the clutter is an upgrade in itself.

“He’s going to be put in a situation where he’s going to be comfortable,” Poles said. “And allowing him to do what he does best is going to allow him to grow.

“I want to give him everything I possibly can, but you still have to construct an entire team… The timing and the talent level and the cap situation — all of those are going to dictate when we can [spend] and when we can’t. What we’ve done so far is at least establish a little bit of growth in the roster, plus the scheme [and] coaching. I see him getting better even from what we did right now.”

If he’s correct, the pain of offloading someone as talented as Mack will be worthwhile.

He’ll hope Fields can progress during this transition season, then flourish in the next one. If he outpaces that schedule, all the better. But that’s the priority, and cashing in Mack for assets to facilitate that vision — even if it isn’t instantaneously — makes sense to someone looking at where the Bears need to go rather than where they’ve been.

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PALM BEACH, Fla. — New Bears general manager Ryan Poles wants to give quarterback Nick Foles his wish: a ticket out of Chicago.

Poles said flatly Monday that free agent signee Trevor Siemian will be Justin Fields’ backup and that he intends to trade Foles.

“Nothing has popped up right now, but we’re working on it,” Poles said. “Hopefully something pops up.”

Foles has been problematic ever since former general manager Ryan Pace traded a fourth-round pick to acquire him from the Jaguars in 2020 and committed to a three-year, $24 million contract.

After a brutal first season in which he couldn’t beat out Mitch Trubisky for the starting job in summer and then lost the spot to Trubisky after a brief run as the starter, Foles was essentially shelved. Former coach Matt Nagy declared him the third-stringer last spring, and Foles said publicly he hoped to be traded to a better situation.

The Bears couldn’t find a taker for his contract, and he played just one game for them. With Fields and Andy Dalton both injured, Foles led the team to a 25-24 comeback victory at Seattle in Week 16.

In two seasons with the Bears, he has an 82.6 passer rating to go with 11 touchdown passes and eight interceptions. At 33 and four seasons removed from winning Super Bowl MVP, it’s doubtful there will be a strong market for Foles.

Siemian, 30, signed a two-year, $4 million deal after playing six games off the bench for the Saints last season. Poles was drawn to his overall game, as well as his history working with elite quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.

“In this offense, I think he’s a better fit [than Foles],” Poles said. “In terms of a guy who has been behind Peyton and Brees, there’s also a wealth of knowledge he can bring to Justin.”

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — So far, so good for Garrett Crochet, the second half of the White Sox’ high-octane left-handed bullpen tandem with Aaron Bummer.

The 6-6 second-year former first-round draft choice has been sharp in three Cactus League games, allowing two hits and no walks and striking out five batters in three innings.

“I’ve been feeling really smooth mechanically and I feel confident throwing all my pitches regardless of count,” Crochet said Monday. “Those were my goals leading into the season and so far it’s working out.”

Ask Crochet, who possesses upper 90s velocity, what his best pitch is right now and he’ll tell you it’s a tossup between his fastball and slider.

“But I feel equally comfortable with my changeup, that has come such a long way since I was drafted [11th overall in 2020] and that could easily overtake them eventually,” he said.

Crochet hopes to expand his changeup and show it to lefties this spring.

Coming off his first full season in which he appeared in 54 games, posting a 2.82 ERA with 65 strikeouts and a 1.270 WHIP over 54 1/3 innings, the 6-6 Crochet “definitely gained some comfortability in this environment,” he said.

“And the knowledge and experience of what it takes to make it through the season. It’s no longer the unknown where I’m tiptoeing around the clubhouse. Now I know how to carry myself and what needs to be done. I look forward to helping this team win baseball games this year.”

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PALM BEACH, Fla. — New Bears general manager Ryan Poles had high hopes for Bills offensive lineman Ryan Bates when he signed him to an offer sheet as a restricted free agent last week, but he’ll have to move on to contingency plans.

The Bills matched Poles’ four-year offer to keep Bates, 25, on Monday. They had until Tuesday night and hadn’t given the Bears any indication of their intentions.

“Yeah, it stinks,” Poles said. “But that’s a part of the RFA process. We’ll adjust and keep adding players. It’s out of your control. You put your best foot forward… and we came strong, and that’s given back to that team if they want to match it.”

Bates likely would’ve competed for a guard spot. He played all 17 games for the Bills last season, including four starts. While he got just 25% of the offensive snaps, it’s clear the Bills agree with Poles that Bates is trending upwardly.

“Ryan’s a really good player and really good person,” Bills coach Sean McDermott said Monday morning, before general manager Brandon Beane made the decision public. “He’s meant a lot to our football team, whether he was in a backup role or starting role. He’s been a valuable piece of our team.”

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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Outfielder Andrew Vaughn has been diagnosed with a hip pointer injury, the White Sox said Monday. The team projects Vaughn to return to game action in the next one to two weeks, depending on how quickly his symptoms resolve.

A hip pointer is a bruised pelvis. The Sox open the season in 11 days on April 8 at Detroit.

When Vaughn was taken off the field on a cart Sunday after making a diving catch and injuring his hip in right-center field in a Cactus League game against the Dodgers, a worse outcome was feared. The Sox lost left fielder Eloy Jimenez with a torn pectoral muscle in a game almost a year to date, and center fielder Luis Robert to a torn hip flexor in May.

Vaughn threw the ball back into the infield from his knees and stood up after catching Hanser Alberto’s liner in the gap. After taking a couple of steps bent forward with his hands on his knees and signaled to the Sox dugout. Vaughn was assisted onto the cart, accompanied by assistant trainer Josh Fallin.

Vaughn, who was replaced by Micker Adolfo, is pegged to split time between right field and designated hitter. Left-handed hitting Gavin Sheets, switch-hitting super utility Leury Garcia and former Gold Glove candidate Adam Engel are also in the right field mix. And a 25-year-old prospect who has battled injuries during his minor league career Adoflo, has had a good spring and is out of minor league options.

Sheets is starting in right field Monday in the Sox’ Cactus League game against the Padres.

Third baseman Jake Burger was taking ground balls Monday after leaving Sunday’s game with ankle soreness.

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David Kaplan will return to weeknight TV on April 4, when “Unfiltered with David Kaplan” airs at 6 p.m. on NBC Sports Chicago. The 30-minute show will air Monday through Friday on the network’s linear and digital channels.

A release announcing the show says Kaplan “will dive into trending sports topics, pop culture and candid conversations with players, coaches and insiders.” The show will not have a panel of guests like Kaplan’s last NBCSCH show, “SportsTalk Live,” but the network’s team reporters will appear.

NBCSCH dropped “SportsTalk Live” in August 2020 amid personnel and programming cuts initiated by parent company NBCUniversal because of the pandemic. With restrictions being lifted across the country, the network is returning to normalcy.

“The pandemic has prevented us from being in studio as much as we would want,” Kaplan said. “As it began to subside, my bosses approached me about doing a show that would lead into our regular pregame shows each night. I’m thrilled to be back working five nights a week talking sports in the best sports city in America.”

Kaplan will make sports betting a big part of the show. He’ll discuss his own bets in the segment “Tip of the Kap,” as well as those of experts from PointsBet, NBC Sports’ official betting partner.

“Unfiltered with David Kaplan” helps fill a void in original programming at NBCSCH, which has lagged behind Marquee Sports Network, the rival regional sports network in town. Outside of “Football Aftershow,” which Kaplan hosts after Bears games, the network has focused on its shoulder programming for Blackhawks, Bulls and White Sox games.

“Kaplan not only lives, eats, sleeps and breathes sports, but he’s also wildly entertaining,” John Schippman, vice president of sports content at NBCUniversal Local Chicago, said in the release. “His passionate opinions always get people talking. This high-energy show will be for every type of Chicago fan, and we’re excited to blend sports and entertainment.”

The show will cap a busy day for Kaplan, who will continue to co-host ESPN 1000’s morning show from 7 to 10 a.m.

“To be able to host morning-drive radio with Jonathan Hood at ESPN 1000 and then to have the chance to do a daily TV show every evening on NBC Sports Chicago is my longtime career dream come true,” Kaplan said.

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Like a lot of other high school kids whose recruiting was upended by the pandemic, St. Rita’s Tommy Ulatowski needed a backup plan.

Unlike most, he was talented enough to be a Division I prospect in two sports.

Last year, Ulatowski made a verbal commitment to Creighton baseball as an outfielder.

He’s also a football quarterback who’s been part of two state finalist teams and three CCL/ESCC champions.

But even though the pandemic wiped out Ulatowski’s entire sophomore baseball season, it had an even bigger impact on his football career. His junior season looked like it wouldn’t get played until a Hail Mary allowed for a six-game spring season with no playoffs.

“I wasn’t sure what kind of [college] football opportunity I’d get,” Ulatowski said. “I had always loved baseball too.”

So when Creighton baseball coach Ed Servais made an unusual offer last year, Ulatowski jumped on it.

“The coach had an agreement with me, ‘If you commit to us right now, if a football opportunity comes up in the fall, I’ll be supportive,'” Ulatowski said.

Even though Ulatowski guided the Mustangs back to the IHSA state finals in 2021, there wasn’t much football interest, however. His lone scholarship offer was from FCS Northern Iowa — not enough to sway him from a Power Five baseball opportunity.

Ulatowski didn’t give up hope, but it wasn’t an easy time.

“After my [senior football] year, I’m just waiting for the phone call, keeping that positive attitude,” he said. “I knew there was going to be a place for me.”

St. Rita coach Todd Kuska worked his connections to help Ulatowski.

“He tried sending my stuff out to every coach he could think of,” Ulatowski said.

Finally, in January, it paid off. Kent State, coached by Richards grad Sean Lewis, reached out to Kuska and then came to St. Rita to talk to Ulatowski.

The result was a preferred walk-on offer with a promise that he’d be on equal footing with all the other quarterbacks competing for playing time.

On March 1, Ulatowski announced via Twitter that he’d be going to Kent State for football instead of Creighton for baseball.

Kuska thinks Kent State is getting a good one.

“I think the intangibles he has, the difference in him is the leadership, the ability to get guys to rally around him,” Kuska said.

Ulatowski is just glad his future is finally settled.

“It’s been a hectic couple of months,” he said. “A couple months of, ‘What am I gonna do? Football is where my heart’s at.’

“Now that it’s set in stone, it’s a huge weight off my shoulders. I know what I’m going to do.”

Illini recruiting coup

When Bret Bielema took the Illinois job, he promised a renewed focus on keeping the state’s best talent at home.

The Illini’s first recruit in the class of 2023 is evidence of that. Kaden Feagin, a four-star running back/athlete from tiny Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond, committed to Illinois on Wednesday, his 18th birthday.

Feagin, a 6-2, 235-pounder is the consensus No. 3 player in the state in his class behind Alleman offensive tackle Charles Jagusah and East St. Louis offensive tackle Myles McVay.

New home for state finals?

It appears the rotating host sites for the state finals will end this year. It’s the last year of a 10-year deal that had Illinois’ Memorial Stadium and Northern Illinois’ Huskie Stadium alternating hosting duties.

The IHSA has posted a request for proposals to host from 2023-27 that calls for a single site with a minimum seating capacity of 12,000. Proposals are due by Sept. 2, with an expected IHSA Board of Directors decision in December.

The rotating sites plan was a product of Illinois’ desire to continue hosting IHSA games in years when it didn’t have a home game of its own. It’s unclear whether Illinois or NIU would be interested in being sole hosts.

But there is speculation that Illinois State — whose Hancock Stadium has undergone a major rehab since it last was home to state in 1998 — would be interested in regaining its host role.

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Keuchel posts 4 1/3 scoreless innings

Making the longest start of any Sox starter this spring, left-hander Dallas Keuchel pitched into the fifth inning and held a Dodgers lineup with Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Trea Turner scoreless.

Keuchel walked two and gave up three hits, throwing 44 of 78 pitches for strikes.

“I could say it was really good but I also didn’t do some things I wanted,” said Keuchel, looking to bounce back from a poor 2021. “But I felt some really good big-league hitters, the body felt great and that’s the main thing. All in all definitely a positive. We’re trending in the right direction.”

Keuchel got early contact, early strikes and made quality pitches behind in count, but wants to be more crisp and “pull that pitch count down a little bit.”

Robert, Anderson power up

Luis Robert clubbed his second and third homers in two days, both shots to right center, and drove in four runs. Tim Anderson was 3-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI, raising his spring average to .500.

Right-hander Kendall Graveman and lefty Aaron Bummer remained unscored on with scoreless appearances.

Kimbrel walks 2, but better

La Russa said he liked how right-hander Craig Kimbrel threw in his B game inning of work against the Dodgers even though Kimbrel walked two. Kimbrel struck out one and got two ground-ball outs. It was a better outing than his first when he was charged with five runs against the Rangers four days earlier.

“Good. I thought he threw the ball good,” La Russa said. “Big plus, big smile on his face when he came off.”

The Dodgers are one of the teams that potentially match up with the Sox in a trade for Kimbrel.

On deck

Padres at Sox, Glendale, 3:05 p.m., 1000-AM, Joe Musgrove (0-1, 6.00) vs. Lucas Giolito (1-0, 0.00).

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