Remember last year when Javier Baez would make a head-turning defensive play to save a game, then get a day or two off, leading to fans wondering why manager Joe Maddon wasn’t playing him every day? Expect the same type of reaction whenever Albert Almora Jr. gets a day off this season.
Almora made a few brilliant catches in center field Thursday and hasn’t been in the lineup all series against Pittsburgh. On Sunday, Maddon trotted out Jason Heyward in center field and Ben Zobrist in right field for the third straight game, apparently sacrificing outfield defense in order to get his veteran bats in the lineup.