The Chicago Cubs got off to a good start following the All-Star break, taking two of three from the Boston Red Sox before beginning a three-game series against the sub .500 Kansas City Royals. However, Monday’s starting lineup exposes a potential disaster for the Cubs down the stretch, heading into October.
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Seiya Suzuki, who has primarily been the team’s designated hitter for the past year, is making his first career start in center field. No, it has nothing to do with the Cubs facing left-handed starting pitcher Noah Cameron and it’s not a scheduled day off for Pete Crow-Armstrong either. Prior to Monday night’s game, local reporters were told that Crow-Armstrong is sitting out because of a knee issue.
Crow-Armstrong has started 98 of the team’s 99 games so far in 2025 and has produced the most value at 5.2 fWAR. The talented center fielder is hitting .270/.306/.556. He’s tied with Suzuki for a team-high 26 home runs, while both players are also tied for the third-highest mark on the Cubs with a 137 wRC+.
Suzuki was pretty much demoted from being the starting right fielder in Aug. 2024, and has only started 29 games in the outfield this season. You can see the desperation by the Cubs because Suzuki certainly isn’t your prototypical backup center fielder, but Craig Counsell is willing to risk the defensive downgrade instead of going with Vidal Brujan in center.
This hasn’t been an issue whatsoever so far in 2025, but now that we’re approaching the stretch run you can see a big problem on the horizon if Crow-Armstrong is ever out for an extended period of time. The Cubs will either take a major hit on defense with Suzuki in center or they’ll have to plug in Brujan into the starting lineup. Brujan hasn’t played much this year and when he has he’s been brutal. The switch-hitter is slashing .179/.195/.256, in 41 plate appearances.
Simply put, the Cubs do not have a backup plan in center field and are pretty much crossing their fingers that Crow-Armstrong remains healthy.
If you’re thinking that outfield prospect Kevin Alcantara could be the next man up to fill in if Crow-Armstrong does have to miss extended time, think again. Cubs insiders Patrick Mooney and Sahdev Sharma dispelled that notion in a recent article in The Athletic. Plus, there’s also the chance that the Cubs trade Alcantara within the next 10 days.
Via The Athletic.
Assuming well-regarded prospect Kevin Alcántara doesn’t get traded this summer, the Cubs wouldn’t feel comfortable calling him up from Triple-A Iowa and installing him as their everyday center fielder.
Ian Happ has one start in center field in the past four seasons and Kyle Tucker has four career starts in center field, all coming back in 2021. The only other outfielder on the 40-man roster is Owen Caissie, who has two career starts in center field throughout his minor league career.
While the Cubs have much bigger needs to address at the trade deadline, this knee issue that has suddenly popped up for Crow-Armstrong may have Jed Hoyer making a few more calls to get another outfielder on the roster. If Brujan isn’t filling in now, then you can almost guarantee that he won’t be on the roster once the trade deadline passes.
And even if Suzuki is passable in center field the lineup is much weaker with Justin Turner as the designated hitter. So yeah, please be OK, Pete!
