Brady, 22, wanted to surprise his roommate with the news. He found out Wednesday night he would be part of the Diamondbacks\u2019 travel roster Thursday and immediately told his mom, Michelle. He decided to hold off on sharing that with his dad, who is living with Brady this spring. Craig thought he was giving his wife good news Thursday morning when he texted her a photo of the Diamondbacks roster, but Michelle revealed she already knew.<\/p>\n
The Cubs manager admitted to feeling a little nervous before the game and joked he wouldn\u2019t watch Brady\u2019s at-bat live, instead checking it out on video later. Of course, Counsell was locked in from his front-row seat. Counsell quipped that he\u2019s going to get on bench coach Ryan Flaherty for having Little try to pick off Brady at first base.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s awesome, I think he does a great job of differentiating, the baseball side of things, just the dad side of things,\u201d Brady said. \u201cUsually it\u2019s brief conversation after games, just something he saw, kind of how it went after that. Just him being normal dad.\u201d<\/p>\n
The father and son met at the plate before the game to exchange the teams\u2019 lineup cards. Brady entered in the bottom of the seventh at third base but didn\u2019t get any balls hit his way. Third-base coach Quintin Berry gave Brady a hug as warmup throws finished.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s made me the player that I am today, just being around big-leaguers and seeing how they operate and the life that it is,\u201d Brady said of being around his dad\u2019s teams. \u201cThat kind of makes the transition from college to pro definitely a little bit easier. But it\u2019s a grind. It\u2019s great going to field every day and playing baseball.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo had been watching Brady work out on the backfields at the team\u2019s complex in Scottsdale when the idea came to him to put the young Counsell on the travel roster for Thursday\u2019s game. He knew this kind of opportunity doesn\u2019t often present itself and wanted to take advantage of it for the Counsells.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve had that moment, I know what it means to me \u2014 it\u2019s very impactful,\u201d Lovullo said before the game. \u201cIt\u2019s probably more emotional for the parent than it is the son or the daughter in these situations. You go crashing all the way back to them in diapers and changing their diapers and throwing your first ball to him. I don\u2019t care who you are, you reflect that far back and then you just proudly watch your son do his thing in his own element and make it his own way. And that\u2019s where Brady is right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Cubs](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/CTC-Z-CUBS-BACKS.jpg\")
Cubs manager Craig Counsell, right, talks with Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo before a Cactus League game Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Mesa, Ariz. (Ross D. Franklin\/AP)<\/p>\n