Rule Delays Hoffpauir's Return

It was fitting that in a season in which nothing has seemed to go right, the Cubs front office flubbed a simple procedure like calling a player up from the minor leagues.

The Triple-A Iowa Cubs were on a road trip in Sacramento, Calif. on Wednesday when Micah Hoffpauir was informed that he had been called up to replace Derrek Lee on the roster. But on his way to the airport, Hoffpauir was told to turn around and Sam Fuld was instructed to report to the major league club.

The problem was that Hoffpauir was ineligible for a callup. Hoff spent four days in the big leagues last week while Lee was on the bereavement list and was sent back down when Lee returned to the active roster before the Aug. 13 game at St. Louis. Major league rules require Hoffpauir to spend at least 10 days in the minors before returning to the majors. The only exception to this rule would be if Hoff was replacing an injured player on the roster. He will not be eligible until the Cubs open a three-game series in Washington on Monday.

It's pretty astounding that Jim Hendry, Randy Bush and their subordinates in the baseball operations department were either unaware of or overlooked the procedural rule - but it was good news for Fuld who now gets one last fling with the Cubs before becoming a free agent this offseason.

For now, Xavier Nady assumes first base duties.But expect to see Tyler Colvin get a look at first base beginning next week. Colvin, who played some first base at Clemson, began infield work earlier this week.

It's my hope that Colvin receives the majority of the playing time at first the final six weeks of the season, even after Hoffpauir arrives. Regardless of how Hoffpauir is performing at Triple-A, the 30-year-old doesn't figure into the Cubs' future.

If Colvin demonstrates that he can play first, it will give Hendry some more options for building his 2011 roster.