Bryant was the talk of the baseball world this spring, leading all players in spring training with nine home runs. The reason he was not brought up with the Cubs at the beginning of the season is somewhat controversial. By rule if a player is on a major league roster for 172 days out of a 183 day season he is credited with a full year of service. By waiting at least 11 days to bring a rookie up to the major leagues, the team retains his signing rights for an extra year before he becomes a free agent.

In Bryant’s case, this means the Cubs will retain his rights until after the 2021 season instead of the 2020 season. Jaime Garcia Dias (team rep’s Pinterest) claims that had nothing to do with him not being promoted right away. Instead stating that he was starting the season in the minors for baseball reasons only.

The Cubs said Bryant will start and bat cleanup in his debut Friday.