Since signing a minor league contract with the Cubs in April, Ben Grieve has been up-and-down between Triple-A Iowa and the big league club. In 56 games in the Pacific Coast League, Grieve is batting .242/.370/.484 with eight doubles and twelve home runs. In the Majors, he is 5-for-14 with five walks and just two strikeouts; that’s a .357/.526/.357 line.

The fact that he has been unable to find a regular job on a Major League bench is astonishing. Any contending team could make great use of a left-handed hitter with some power and a great on-base average off the bench. Grieve’s not-insignificant shortcomings in the field and on the bases limit his value, but he would fit nicely as a team’s number one left-handed pinch-hitting option (in the vein of Dave Hansen or Lenny Harris).

I remain convinced that he would also be a fine option at designated hitter for an American League team. Since hitting rock bottom in 2003 with the Devil Rays, he has an OPS near 800 in about 140 big league games. Despite all the things he cannot do well, Grieve can still hit.