11 days later, Cubs' La Stella still hasn't reported to Triple-A

Tommy La Stella is taking his demotion to the minors harder than most players.

Eleven days after the Chicago Cubs optioned him in favor of Chris Coghlan, who was activated from the disabled list, La Stella still hasn't reported to Triple-A Iowa.

In an interview with ESPN, he said his decision was a personal one and that he's either going to be a big leaguer, or he won't play.

"I'm a baseball player by profession. My identity is not tied up in that," La Stella said. "That's not who I am as a person. I don't need to make every life move centered around my profession, because that's not who I am.

"I kind of disassociated with that identity," he added. "It felt a lot better to me going out there playing because that's what I felt in me, not because I felt obligated to do it. It was a lot more enjoyable this year."

Manager Joe Maddon addressed the situation on Tuesday, and said although he wants his player to return, he can't force him to do anything.

"The ball is literally in Tommy’s court right now," Maddon told reporters. "We love having him here. He’s a great teammate. He’s a very good player. Do we want to have him back? Absolutely, but pretty much, it’s his decision that he has to make for himself.”

Cubs general manager Jed Hoyer said La Stella is on the temporary inactive list, according to the Daily Herald's Bruce Miles. Other reports indicate La Stella only returned to baseball to play with the Cubs, and will retire if he's traded.

"The perspective we've chosen to take is, we're dealing with 25 different human beings in that clubhouse and everyone has different backgrounds, and we try to be understanding of that," Hoyer said. "I know his teammates like him I know he can help his teammates win. Right now we're trying to give him time to clear his head."

In 51 MLB games this year, La Stella has been an effective player, slashing .295/.388/.457 with two homers, nine doubles and only 22 strikeouts in 122 plate appearances.

As of Tuesday, Maddon wasn't overly concerned with La Stella's absence.

"It was just a matter of once we went ahead and did it, it’s just probably his personality, viewing his baseball life in general,” Maddon said. “It’s just what he’s thinking and what he wants his next step to be regarding his career path in baseball or otherwise.

"There’s no animosity whatsoever," he added. "It’s really the same conversation. It’s just a young man in a situation now trying to weigh his different options.”