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Luis Valbuena | Third Baseman

Team: Chicago Cubs
Age / DOB:  (27) / 11/30/1985
Ht / Wt:  5'10' / 195
Bats / Throws: Left / Right
Contract: view contract details
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Latest News

Recent News

Luis Valbuena (pinkie) is back in Wednesday's lineup against the Rockies.
Valbuena has missed the past three games with a jammed right pinkie. It shouldn't be an issue moving forward. May 15 - 3:28 PM
Source: Carrie Muskat on Twitter

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Player News

Date:
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Luis Valbuena (pinkie) is expected to return to the Cubs' lineup on Wednesday against the Rockies.

Valbuena has missed the past three games with a jammed right pinkie. It was never a serious concern.
Source: Gordon Wittenmyer on Twitter
May 14 - 5:25 PM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Luis Valbuena (pinkie) is not in the Cubs' starting lineup on Monday night against the Rockies.

Valbuena jammed his right pinkie Saturday while sliding into third base. He was able to play catch and hit in the batting cage on Sunday but remains day-to-day.
Source: Carrie Muskat on Twitter
May 13 - 3:32 PM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Luis Valbuena (pinkie) was able to play catch and hit in the batting cage on Sunday afternoon.

Valbuena jammed his right pinkie finger Saturday when he slid hard into the third base bag. It's not thought to be a serious injury. X-rays showed no fracture.
Source: Cubs.mlb.com
May 13 - 10:30 AM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Luis Valbuena is considered day-to-day after X-rays on his jammed right pinkie came back negative.

Valbuena suffered the jammed finger when he slid into third base during Saturday's game. He could sit out on Sunday as a precautionary measure, but the infielder is not expected to miss a significant amount of time.
Source: Gordon Wittenmeyer on Twitter
May 11 - 7:45 PM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Luis Valbuena left Saturday's game against the Nationals after jamming his right pinkie.

Valbuena suffered the injury when he slid hard into the third base bag. He will undergo precautionary X-rays.
Source: Paul Sullivan on Twitter
May 11 - 5:50 PM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Luis Valbuena homered off Steve Cishek in the top of the ninth to lead the Cubs to a 4-3 win over the Marlins on Thursday.

It was Valbuena's fourth homer in 59 at-bats, matching his total from 265 at-bats for the Cubs last year. He's not exactly tearing the cover off the ball with his .237 average, but he's in position to remain the Cubs' primary third baseman even once Ian Stewart is healthy.
Apr 25 - 10:57 PM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Luis Valbuena went 2-for-6 and hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the 13th Monday against the Reds.

Valbuena would have been the hero tonight if only Michael Bowden had held the lead in the bottom of the 13th. It was his third homer in 52 at-bats this season. Last year, he hit four in 265 at-bats for the Cubs.
Apr 23 - 12:04 AM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Cubs manager Dale Sveum said Wednesday that Luis Valbuena is a candidate to hit leadoff some against left-handed pitching.

David DeJesus will be the normal leadoff hitter, and Ian Stewart is expected to receive most of the time at third base. But it sounds like Valbuena could hit at the top of the order when he gets some starts against southpaws, as he he's hit better against them in his career even though he swings from the left side of the plate. "[He's a possibility] because he gives you great at-bats, he sees a lot of pitches, he can score first with a home run once in a while, he drives the ball," Sveum said. "He's got all the things you want in a leadoff hitter."
Source: Cubs.mlb.com
Feb 27 - 7:35 PM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Luis Valbuena hit a solo home run and scored two runs in the Cubs' 11-2 victory over the Angels Saturday.

Valbuena, 27, made a strong first impression in his bid to open the season as the Cubs' starting third baseman. He hit just .219 with four home runs in 303 plate appearances in 2012 but he's got a little bit of pop, as he showed Saturday. With Ian Stewart sidelined by a quad injury, Valbuena will continue to receive chances to impress.
Feb 23 - 6:30 PM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

With the recent injury to Ian Stewart, Luis Valbuena has the opportunity to open the season as the Cubs' starting third baseman.

The versatile Valbuena hit a meager .219/.310/.340 in 303 plate appearances in 2012, but is a virtual lock to make the Opening Day roster. With Stewart's history of health problems, and recent quad injury, Valbuena could very easily find himself with a full-time gig. Even so, he's a poor option in most fantasy formats.
Related: Ian Stewart
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
Feb 22 - 11:55 PM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Cubs and INF Luis Valbuena avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $930,000 contract.

Valbuena, who hit .219/.310/.340 in 303 plate appearances last season for the Cubs, was arbitration-eligible for the first time. He has three more arbitration years.
Source: Patrick Mooney on Twitter
Jan 10 - 3:43 PM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Luis Valbuena went 3-for-4 with a solo homer in a losing effort against the Reds on Friday.

Since the arrival of Josh Vitters, Valbuena has lost his grip on the everyday third baseman's job in Chicago. The veteran infielder is hitting a paltry .221 with four homers and 20 RBI on the season, and isn't an option in all but the deepest of NL-only leagues.
Fri, Aug 17, 2012 10:12:00 PM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Luis Valbuena went 2-for-3 with an RBI single and a run scored in Saturday's win over the Diamondbacks.

Valbuena is handling third base duties with Ian Stewart (wrist) on the shelf, but he's hitting just .233/.267/.419 with three homers and 15 RBI in 25 games played. The 26-year-old still has a chance to stick as a utility guy, but he's only starting because the Cubs don't have better options at the ready. Steer clear outside of deeper NL-only leagues.
Sat, Jul 14, 2012 03:56:00 PM
Luis Valbuena - 3B - Cubs

Luis Valbuena went 3-for-5 with a three-run homer in Monday's win over the White Sox.

That's now two longballs over the last three games and seven RBI over five contests since taking over as the starter at third base. Valbuena will cool off, but he should be owned in NL-only formats.
Mon, Jun 18, 2012 11:07:00 PM

Depth Charts

Batters
PosRoleName
C1Welington Castillo
2Dioner Navarro
3Steve Clevenger
1B1Anthony Rizzo
2B1Darwin Barney
SS1Starlin Castro
3B1Luis Valbuena
2Cody Ransom
LF1Alfonso Soriano
2Ryan Sweeney
CF1David DeJesus
RF1Nate Schierholtz
2Scott Hairston
Starting Pitcher
PosRoleName
S1Matt Garza
2Jeff Samardzija
3Edwin Jackson
4Scott Baker
5Scott Feldman
6Travis Wood
7Carlos Villanueva
Relief Pitcher
PosRoleName
R1Kevin Gregg
2Kyuji Fujikawa
3Carlos Marmol
4James Russell
5Shawn Camp
6Michael Bowden
7Hector Rondon
8Arodys Vizcaino