Despite a report from ESPN’s Karl Ravech that there are those inside the Cubs organization who prefer to have Addison Russell back starting at shortstop, Theo Epstein and Joe Maddon are doing their best to put out a strong opposing message.

Theo: “Javy’s been one of the most dynamic players in the league…so as we talked about a week or two ago, I think it makes sense to give him some reliability knowing he’s going to be in the lineup every day (and) he’s going to be playing shortstop." — Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) May 14, 2019

Maddon: "I like what it looks like right now. I mean, the vibe cannot be topped. The feeling among the group is outstanding. I would not want to upset that apple cart in any way, shape or form. I don't think it's wise." — Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) May 14, 2019

Good. Good.

Are there folks with the Cubs who no doubt wish and hope that Addison Russell demonstrates he *can* be a starting-caliber shortstop on a playoff team? Well, sure. There are lots of reasons that would be a good thing for the Cubs. But there’s not a realistic path for making that happen so long as Javy Baez is doing what he’s doing at shortstop. Not only do you not want to risk disrupting the bat, but also it’s not like he’s a butcher at short. He looks great out there, and he’s currently rating as above-average defensively at short.