Kris Bryant gave the Chicago Cubs two more reasons Saturday why he should make the big-league roster this spring.
One was a towering opposite-field blast in the third, and the second was a deep solo shot in the sixth. Both came after he entered the game as a pinch-hitter because of shoulder fatigue.
The Las Vegas native was scheduled to play third base in front of his hometown fans Saturday, but was a late scratch due to shoulder soreness. He appeared no worse for wear when he replaced Anthony Rizzo as the designated hitter in the third and promptly hit his fifth homer of the spring off Oakland Athletics pitcher Jesse Hahn.
Three innings later, Bryant upped his major-league leading home run total to six with a wall-scrapping drive off Evan Scribner.
"I went into the game and I thought I just need to get a hit for my hometown," Bryant told reporters after the Cubs' 3-1 win. "It turned out to be a really good game."
It was Bryant's second multi-homer effort in three days after clubbing a pair against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday. The 23-year-old phenom led the minors with 43 home runs in 2014.
Bryant, currently ranked the best prospect by Baseball America and ESPN's Keith Law, is fighting to break camp with the Cubs this spring.
The Cubs can delay Bryant's free agency by a year if they elect to keep him in the minors for the first few months of the season and avoid him accruing additional major-league service time.