Cubs Outfielder Chris Denorfia to Rehab with Pelicans Beginning Sunday

April 12, 2015 - Carolina League (CarL1)
Myrtle Beach Pelicans News Release

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (APRIL 12, 2015) -- The Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, have received Cubs outfielder Chris Denorfia on a Major League rehabilitation assignment. He will be with the club and in uniform beginning Sunday night in Myrtle Beach. The first-year Cubs outfielder was placed on the 15-day disabled list on April 5 with a strained left hamstring suffered in Spring Training. Denorfia is the first MLB rehab assignment received by the Pelicans since 2009 when then Atlanta Braves right-hander Tim Hudson made two starts in the Carolina League.

Denorfia, 34, signed a one-year deal with the Cubs this offseason, but missed the last two weeks of Spring Training and was placed on the disabled list on April 5. Until now, he had been rehabbing at the Cubs Spring Training facility in Mesa, Arizona. The outfielder has spent nine seasons in the big leagues with four different clubs prior to Chicago. He came up with the Cincinnati Reds (2005-2006), played two seasons in Oakland (2008-2009), five years with the San Diego Padres (2010-2014), and the second half of last season with the Seattle Mariners (2014).

Denorfia was signed by the Cubs on January 9, 2015 to a one-year deal for $2.6 million with $400,000 in plate appearance incentives according to Cots Baseball Contracts . In seven Major League Spring Training games with Chicago, Denorfia hit .250 (5-for-20) with one home run and two RBI splitting time between left field, right field, and designated hitter.

The Bristol, Connecticut, native Denorfia is a career .272 hitter in the big leagues with 38 home runs and 178 RBI. Last season, Denorfia split the season between San Diego and Seattle after being traded from the Padres to the Mariners at the trade deadline for outfielder Abraham Almonte and right-handed pitcher Stephen Kohlscheen. Between the two clubs, he hit .230 with three homers and 21 RBI and added 12 doubles in 121 games played (75 starts). This will mark the first minor league game action for Denorfia since late in 2011 when he missed a month, also with a strained left hamstring, and rehabbed with Triple-A Tucson and Class-A Advanced Lake Elsinore in the Padres system.

Denorfia will be in uniform for the Pelicans on Sunday when the club wraps up their four-game series with the Wilmington Blue Rocks at 5:05 p.m. ET at TicketReturn.Com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.

This marks the first time since July 23, 2009 that a MLB rehabber has suited up in a Pelicans uniform when Tim Hudson made two rehabilitation starts for the Birds. That same season, catcher Brian McCann played in two games for Myrtle Beach, serving as the designated hitter on April 28 and April 29.

Denorfia is the ninth MLB rehabber in team history. The previous eight players all came during the teams 12-year stint as the Class A-Advanced affiliate of the Atlanta Braves from 1999-2010. There were no MLB rehab assignments for the Pelicans in the four-year Rangers era.

Tickets are still available for the contest and can be purchased online, at the Pelicans Box Office (open at noon on Sunday), or over the phone by calling (843) 918-6000.

The game can also be heard live on 1450 WRNN-AM ESPN Myrtle Beach, on the TuneIn Radio App, and via the MiLB First Pitch App, beginning with the Pregame Show at 4:45 p.m. The game will also air along with live streaming video on MiLB.tv (subscription required).

Season Seats, Mini Plans, Flex Books, and single game tickets for the 2015 season are on sale now. For information on tickets to see the Pelicans in 2015, please call (843) 918-6000, e-mail info@myrtlebeachpelicans.com, visit www.MyrtleBeachPelicans.com, or visit the Pelicans Box Office, which is open on non-game days Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and on game-days beginning at 10:00 a.m., except on Sundays when the Box Office is open starting at 12:00 noon.

Chicago Cubs Outfielder Chris Denorfia

Carolina League Stories from April 12, 2015

• Cubs Rehabber Chris Denorfia Doubles in Shutout Defeat - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
• Blue Rocks Earn Split by Blanking Pelicans - Wilmington Blue Rocks
• P-Nats Blank Lynchburg 5-0 to Earn Series Split - Potomac Nationals
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• Dash Drop Opening Series in Walk-Off Fashion - Winston-Salem Dash
• Mudcats Sneak Past Red Sox 4-2 - Salem Red Sox
• Hillcats Blanked by Potomac, 5-0 - Lynchburg Hillcats
• Cubs Outfielder Chris Denorfia to Rehab with Pelicans Beginning Sunday - Myrtle Beach Pelicans
• Orioles Outfielder David Lough to Begin Rehab with Keys - Frederick Keys
• Hillcats Game Notes April 12, 2015, 1:05 p.m. at Potomac - Lynchburg Hillcats
• Pelicans Fight Back to Win First Extra Inning Game of '15 - Myrtle Beach Pelicans

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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