Friday, August 08

Welcome back to the Cubs Beat newsletter. Jordan Bastian has covered baseball for MLB.com since 2005, including the Cubs since the 2019 season.

CHICAGO – Cubs manager Craig Counsell has used the past week to find moments to give a few of his regulars a day off from being in the starting lineup. Kyle Tucker’s turn arrived on Wednesday afternoon against the Reds, offering the chance for both physical and mental rest for Chicago’s right fielder.

“A day off to reset,” Counsell told reporters.

The North Siders have been trying to get their lineup rolling again, and Tucker plays an important role as an offensive catalyst for the unit. Following MVP-caliber production out of the chute this season -- helping fuel one of baseball’s top lineups -- Tucker has cooled considerably over the past several weeks.

While Tucker has not used this as an excuse, the timing of the offensive fade seems to line up with him injuring his right ring finger on June 1 in a game against the Reds. X-rays showed no structural damage and the outfielder returned to the lineup within a few days, but his production has not looked the same in the weeks since that minor setback.

“I know it did bother him for a while,” Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer said on Tuesday. “I don’t know whether it still bothers him, whether it created some bad habits along the way with compensating and things like that. There’s no question that when you look at his numbers, it’s had an impact on him, for sure. That’s the nature sometimes of these small injuries -- they can do that.”

Tucker was asked Wednesday morning if the finger was still a lingering issue.

“It’s fine,” Tucker told reporters. “I’ve got to go out and do my job regardless of how I feel. I’m just trying to continue that the best I can.”

Through June 1, Tucker was batting .284/.394/.524 with 12 homers, 10 doubles, 39 RBIs and more walks (40) than strikeouts (32) in 59 games (269 plate appearances). In the next 52 games (223 PAs), he has hit .255/.373/.413 with six homers, 11 doubles, 22 RBIs, 39 strikeouts and 35 walks. His strikeout rate climbed to 17.5% in that more recent stretch, compared to 11.9% through June 1.

“Kyle’s going through a baseball season. He spoiled us in the month of April,” Counsell said. “His numbers are pretty close to his career numbers -- pretty much on his career numbers right now. And coming off a bad streak, that’s kind of where you want it to be, actually. … That’s the amazing thing about Kyle, is I can use the word 'struggling' and he has an on-base percentage [close to] .400.”

In the period through June 1, the Cubs as a team averaged 5.8 runs per game with a 120 wRC+ overall. From June 2 through Tuesday, Chicago was averaging 4.5 runs per game with a 106 wRC+ as a team. Tucker has not been alone in the Cubs’ offensive issues in the past month, but there is no denying the impact he has on the group.

“I still feel like I’m still swinging at pitches I want to and taking ones I don’t want to swing at,” Tucker said. “It’s just the pitches over the plate, I just end up fouling off or I might swing and miss at times. Then I just end up getting in worse counts and it kind of just doesn’t work out from there. … I’ve just got to grind through it and try to figure it out, and hopefully turn it around.”

In the last newsletter, we highlighted Willi Castro’s ability to almost be a “sixth man” off the Cubs’ bench. He then started at a different position in each of his first four games with the team. Who was the last player to do that for the franchise?

A. Javier Báez

B. Ben Zobrist

C. Larry Biittner

D. Solly Hofman

Courtesy: @qberry_247 on Instagram

The man on the mound at Wrigley Field in the build-up to Sunday’s game started to steal the show. Wearing a “100” on the back of his Cubs jersey -- in honor of his milestone birthday -- Andy Anderson dug at the dirt next to the rubber and peered in for the sign, eliciting laughter from the crowd.

His grandson, Cubs third-base coach Quintin Berry, was on the receiving end of the ceremonial first pitch and could not contain his smile.

“I was freaking out, man,” Berry said with a laugh. “I said, ‘Hey grandpa, man, we’ve got a time limit on this thing. We’ve got to start this game.”

Courtesy: @qberry_247 on Instagram

Anderson was not about to rush this moment. With the crowd beginning to buzz, Anderson pretended to shake off the sign -- generating more laughs -- before easing into a ready position. A few chants of “Andy! Andy!” began to swell before Anderson finally uncorked his pitch, which bounced into the grass in front of the mound.

Berry headed over to greet his grandpa and planted a kiss on his head as they walked off the field. It was a special moment -- with 50-plus relatives and friends in attendance -- to celebrate a man Berry called “the heartbeat” of their family.

“He’s so resilient. He’s so strong,” Berry said. “I feel like he’s always made it a point to let everybody know that he’s different. That’s who he is. He’s a showman.”

• Hoyer discusses the Michael Soroka trade, injury. Read more >>
• Soroka’s Cubs debut cut short by shoulder setback. Read more >>
• An immaculate inning for Andrew Kittredge! Read more >>
• Cade Horton extends scoreless streak in win. Read more >>
• Lineup trying to find its footing amid playoff chase. Read more >>
• Teammates celebrate Justin Turner after walk-off. Read more >>

Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner -- known for his hard-nose play in the field, plus speed on the bases, grinding at-bats and leadership -- has been named the team’s recipient of the 2025 Heart & Hustle Award, which is presented to players who “exemplify a true passion for the game and who best embody the values, spirit, and tradition of the game." The overall winner will be announced in mid-November on MLB Network.

D. Solly Hofman

Thanks to Cubs historian Ed Hartig for digging this one up. When Castro started at second (Saturday), third (Sunday), center (Monday) and right (Tuesday), he became the first player to get the nod at four positions in their first four games with the club since Hofman way back in 1904.

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