CHICAGO — As the Cubs’ offense tries to dig itself out of a long slump, a player once seen as key to this season is being sent to the minors for a reset. The Cubs announced Friday that Moisés Ballesteros is being optioned to Triple A.The Cubs’ bats then throttled the Toronto Blue Jays in a 16-2 victory, two nights after putting up eight runs. After Wednesday night’s win over the Colorado Rockies, Ballesteros sat at his locker with his head down, listening to the team’s traveling secretary. Not long after, bullpen catcher Erick Castillo came by to chat with the young player. Before leaving for the night, bullpen coach Mark Strittmatter grabbed Ballesteros, put an arm around him and whispered something in his ear.With a smile normally plastered on his face, Ballesteros didn’t seem his jovial self. Clearly, the news wasn’t great. By Thursday, word was trickling out. Then, on Friday, the Cubs made his demotion official.It’s an idea that would have seemed absurd as April was coming to a close. On the morning of April 28, Ballesteros was hitting .387 with a 215 wRC+. He had five home runs and five doubles, rarely struck out and took his walks. He looked like a fixture in the middle of the Cubs lineup, consistently getting his name penciled in at DH. There was talk that he could get some Rookie of the Year buzz, and he genuinely looked like one of the best young, pure hitters in baseball.Can you 'Name that Dude'?Derek VanRiper and Eno SarrisOver his next 62 plate appearances, Ballesteros managed just three hits. From April 28 on, he has hit just .128 with two extra-base hits. He began to lose regular playing time as veteran Michael Conforto heated up. Seiya Suzuki, who recently tweaked his knee, has been getting time at DH as well.Matt Shaw’s return from the injured list meant another quality player to battle for playing time. Add in the emergence of Pedro Ramírez, and a multitude of players are producing better at the plate and bringing value defensively, something Ballesteros doesn’t do consistently yet.