MILWAUKEE – The Cubs sent Albert Almora Jr. down to Triple-A Iowa the day after his wedding. This is a cold business, but the franchise does have a soft spot for the first player drafted by the Theo Epstein regime, still believing he could become the center fielder of the future, perhaps as soon as Opening Day 2017.

The Cubs rebooked Almora into a Pacific Coast League honeymoon by activating Dexter Fowler (hamstring) from the disabled list before Friday’s 5-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park, getting back their “You go, we go” leadoff guy.

This was less than 24 hours after Almora posted a photo on Twitter and Instagram with the caption: “Finally hitched! #MrsAlmora.” Almora posed with Krystal, who’s expecting a baby boy in early September, or about the time there should be another call-up to The Show.

Teammates Kris Bryant, Addison Russell, Kyle Schwarber and Justin Grimm – and their wives and girlfriends – attended the ceremony at a Chicago courthouse. Almora and his bride then bumped into manager Joe Maddon on Thursday night at Ocean Cut, the River North restaurant.

“It’s bittersweet,” Almora said inside the visiting clubhouse. “This is a big family in here. We look out for one another and we have a lot of fun playing baseball.”

Almora hit .265 with two homers, seven doubles and a .712 OPS in 34 games, showing his natural instincts, potential as a Gold Glove defender and the need for what Maddon called “a little bit more sophistication in regards to his at-bats.” It’s all part of the learning curve for a 22-year-old baseball gym rat accustomed to elite competition after growing up in South Florida and playing on Team USA.

“I’m confident I can play here, 100 percent,” Almora said. “I played like I belong. Like I said when I first got here – what helps me sleep at night is that I played my all. I left it all on the field. I can’t predict what could happen. But I’m happy with where I’m at.”

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Given the first-round pedigree, this most recent snapshot and the expectation that Fowler will hit the free-agent market again this winter, is Almora your everyday center fielder next season?

“I can’t answer that,” Maddon said. “All I know is that he’s proven to himself and us how good he is. Yes, he can play on a consistent basis. There’s no question about that. But I don’t know what the overall game plans are.

“The biggest thing with a guy like that is he gets his feet wet (and realizes): ‘I belong here. I can do this.’ And then he gets to go back and work on things that he knows is going to make him better here.

“We – and the front office – are comfortable with the fact that we believe that he can. And, more importantly, he believes that he can.”