Craig Counsell is finally ready to make the adjustment Chicago Cubs fans have been demanding. After a stagnant stretch where the offense has looked completely out of sync over the past two weeks, Counsell is shuffling the lineup following a 4-2 loss to the Houston Astros on Friday—Chicago’s sixth straight defeat. He confirmed afterward that changes are coming for Saturday’s game.
“Counsell said he will shake up the lineup a bit,” reported Bruce Levine.
A major sticking point for fans has been the Cubs’ inability to deliver with runners in scoring position, with Ian Happ frequently at the center of those struggles despite remaining locked in as the No. 4 hitter. That issue flared up again Friday, as Happ went 1-for-5 with two strikeouts. As a team, Chicago stranded 11 runners and went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
“About time. Only took a six-game losing streak to do it,” one fan reacted.
Now the focus shifts to what Counsell’s revised lineup will actually look like. With no true dominant power bat anchoring the order, there are multiple directions he could go—but it appears clear Happ will be dropped in the order.
A projected reshuffled lineup could look like this:
- Nico Hoerner
- Seiya Suzuki
- Carson Kelly
- Michael Busch
- Michael Conforto
- Alex Bregman
- Ian Happ
- Pete Crow-Armstrong
- Dansby Swanson
Hoerner remains the most logical leadoff option, while Suzuki continues to profile as the Cubs’ most reliable overall hitter despite some situational struggles. Even so, his .825 OPS still stands out in a struggling lineup.
The biggest shift comes in the middle of the order, where Carson Kelly’s steady production and Michael Busch’s hot bat during the slump earn them higher slots. Conforto has also been providing more consistent at-bats than Moisés Ballesteros recently, keeping him in the mix.
Alex Bregman hasn’t fully lived up to expectations, but his track record still gives him an edge over Happ, who slides down in the order amid his ongoing struggles. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Dansby Swanson round out the bottom of the lineup.
For now, this feels like Counsell’s most logical move—small but necessary. And while further tweaks, including potential starts for Pedro Ramirez, could still come, the immediate priority is clear: spark an offense that has gone completely cold.