Craig Counsell didn’t leave much room for mystery Monday night. When the Cubs started Kevin Alcántara in left field against Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski, with Ian Happ beginning the game on the bench, it looked like a clear sign of where this was headed. Happ eventually entered as a pinch-hitter in the sixth once Los Angeles turned to a right-handed reliever, and that seems to be the pattern Chicago plans to follow.
This is not a straight benching. It’s a platoon, and it’s the direction the Cubs are taking for the rest of the regular season’s final stretch. When a left-handed starter is on the mound, Tyrone Taylor is expected to get the nod in left field in Happ’s place.
Counsell confirmed that plan Tuesday on The Score, saying Taylor will start against Tarik Skubal and that the Cubs will try to cut down on Happ’s plate appearances against lefties the rest of the 2026 season.
The numbers make the move easy to understand. In 125 plate appearances against left-handed pitching in 2026, Happ is hitting .158/.232/.298 with a 34.4 K% and a 48 wRC+.
Since May 20, he’s gone just 8-for-60 against lefties, with 25 strikeouts in 65 plate appearances. That’s a rough enough run to force a change, and Taylor’s track record against left-handed pitching gives Chicago a much cleaner answer.
Before the trade, Taylor had posted a .301/.311/.589 line with five homers and a 146 wRC+ against lefties. That kind of production is exactly why his addition in the Clay Holmes trade matters here.
The Cubs didn’t wait around for a perfect internal fix because the alternatives weren’t nearly as simple. Pedro Ramirez, for all the appeal of giving him a look, would have been thrown into the outfield with very little experience.
Matt Shaw could have helped in this role too, since he has excelled against left-handed pitching in his career and could theoretically carry his defensive skills from right field to left. But Shaw has been out with a wrist injury since June 28.
That leaves Taylor as the practical choice, and it gives Counsell a more reliable platoon option than rolling the dice on a rookie. Alcántara did go deep on Monday, but the 24-year-old has struggled in his limited MLB time, so the Cubs are choosing the safer path with a player who has already shown he can punish left-handed pitching.
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Chicago does not yet know exactly what it is dealing with, but the early read is enough to spark concern because Swanson is such an important defensive piece. Craig Counsell only said he hopes the issue is not serious, and for a Cubs team trying to keep its footing, the idea of losing Swanson for any stretch would be a significant development. [Read more 🡒]