Did We See Cubs' Opening Day Lineup Thursday in Mesa?

[Matthew Trueblood]

Though it was already evident to most people, the Cubs announced Thursday that they wouldn't have their starting second baseman when they fly to Tokyo for the season opener. That leaves the door open for Craig Counsell to use the same lineup he wrote Thursday, come Opening Day.

Image courtesy of © Allan Henry-Imagn Images

When the Cubs took the field against the Angels at Sloan Park on Thursday, their batting order looked like this:

1. Ian Happ - LF
2. Kyle Tucker - RF
3. Seiya Suzuki - DH
4. Michael Busch - 1B
5. Dansby Swanson - SS
6. Pete Crow-Armstrong - CF
7. Carson Kelly - C
8. Jon Berti - 2B
9. Nicky Lopez - 3B

In the wake of the news that Nico Hoerner won't make the trip to Japan for the false-start opening series against the Dodgers, and under the shadow of the seemingly obvious truth that Matt Shaw won't be there either, this is one viable option for the team's Opening Day lineup. Berti has been viewed as the main backup for Shaw at third base, and that's accurate, but with Hoerner also sidelined to open the season, the team will need two shock troops on the infield, so they might exploit Berti's versatility.

Not having Hoerner in tow when they travel to Asia (and presumably not having yet called up Shaw, officially) would allow the Cubs to roster not one or two of Gage Workman, Vidal Bruján and Nicky Lopez, but all three—if that's the way they choose to go. In any case, of course, the bench will need to include one extra catcher (be that Miguel Amaya or, if Amaya starts, Kelly) and bench bat Justin Turner. If two projected starters are on the shelf, though, Berti becomes a staple in the lineup, and the question becomes who else to slot in.

To be fair, Bruján and Workman have both played a lot early in the Cactus League, and a day off for each doesn't demonstrate any faltering in the team's enthusiasm or faith in them. To keep either, they have to make the roster, whereas the Cubs can buy a bit more time with Lopez before the first buyout date in his minor-league deal. Nor is Lopez the only non-roster invitee who could grab the last spot on the team without Hoerner or Shaw being available.

If Workman, Bruján and Berti constitute acceptable infield depth, in the eyes of the front office, then it could be Greg Allen who gets the spot until Hoerner or Shaw is ready. Allen is a right-handed hitter, a speedster on base, and a viable (if no longer superb) center field defender.

Is it, then, Lopez vs. Allen for a final roster spot, in the fortnight left before the team needs to set its roster for Japan? That's possible. Should Lopez win the gig, though, he might end up in the Opening Day lineup—unexpected and (to some fans) unwelcome as that possibility could feel.

Maybe there's solace, for some of those fans, in seeing where Counsell apparently intends to use Pete Crow-Armstrong. He batted even higher in the lineup when spring training games first got underway, but sixth is a nice, realistic spot for the speedy, streaky lefty batter. If the team can avoid burying him at the bottom of the order, they can get real value when he's going well—not only in the form of hits and alternating handedness reaching all the way down to the bottom of the lineup, but because sixth is a sneakily good place to slot in a great base-stealer to maximize their utility.

Much could change between now and the actual Tokyo games. For now, though, Thursday feels a bit like a preview of how those two contests might look, given the need for some of the team's valued contributors to convalesce. Fans might not like all the signals Counsell and the team sent, but they're there, alright.

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