Kris Bryant on being sent down by Cubs: 'I'm extremely disappointed'
Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant said he is "extremely disappointed" that he was reassigned to the team's minor league camp instead of starting the season on the Cubs' 25-man roster, according to ESPN's Jesse Rogers.
The Cubs reassigned Bryant on Monday, after he hit .425 with nine home runs and 15 RBI in 14 spring training games. The move allows Chicago to push back Bryant's free agency to the end of the 2021 season if he stays in the minors at least 12 days, but team president Theo Epstein has said the team's handling of the 23-year-old is about baseball, not business.
"The dream is on hold for a little bit but I'm hungrier than ever," Bryant said Thursday.
The third baseman told reporters he believes he played well enough to earn a spot on the major league roster, and said he "did everything I could."
After the Cubs announced the move to send Bryant down, the Major League Baseball Players Association issued a statement that called it "a bad day for baseball."
Last month, Bryant's agent, Scott Boras, ripped the team's plan to have the third baseman start the season in the minors.
- Molly Geary
