Cubs may lose Gathright, Hendry looking for bench help

Lou Piniella wants to keep Bobby Scales up for infield flexibility, and someone has to be moved to make room for Randy Wells.

Bruce Levine says Joey Gathright may be lost in the numbers game. Gathright has mainly been used as a late inning defensive replacement, and pinch runner. Levine also reports that Jim Hendry is looking for a corner infielder to play third base off the bench .

Right-hander Randy Wells will make his first major-league start against the Brewers tonight.

The assumption is the team will ask outfielder Joey Gathright to take a minor-league assignment.

What complicates the situation is any player with three or more years in the majors has a right to decline any assignment to the minor leagues after going through waivers. That right that includes the player being able to declare free agency.

The five-outfielder rotation of Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Milton Bradley, Reed Johnson and Micah Hoffpauir– although somewhat defensively challenged — is good enough for manager Lou Piniella at this junction of the season.

For flexibility purposes, Piniella wants to keep a second backup infielder utility man. Bobby Scales — recalled from Class AAA last week — will stay with the club, although a trade for another utility-type player is possible.

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