After Key Injury Shakes Up Infield, Cubs Face Adversity Yet Again

[Brian Kelder]

Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Dansby Swanson, star defensive shortstop and linchpin of the Cubs' elite defense, will miss the lion's share of the remaining regular season, and even his availability for October is in doubt. He was diagnosed with a Grade 2 oblique strain, which makes it hard to see how he can return any sooner than late September.

Nico Hoerner will man shortstop capably, if not as well as Swanson, who is in Gold Glove conversations yearly. Second base will be primarily Pedro Ramírez, with a smattering of Matt Shaw. The team just got worse at two defensive positions, and since Shaw might be needed to complement Michael Busch at first base, rest will be in short supply for Alex Bregman the rest of the way.

This harkens back to 2019, when Addison Russell and Javier Báez switched spots in the double play combo. After Ruseell's shadow ban (and then official ban) for domestic violence, the team elected to let Báez handle shortstop and mixed Russell in (when he was available) with the likes of Ben Zobrist, Robel García (remember him?), Daniel Descalso and David Bote at second base. The stability at short was non-negotiable, but the defense was markedly worse for the swap. This is real adversity, even if it's a bit less disquieting than the cloud that hung over the team because of Russell's behavior back then.

The last time the Cubs faced adversity to this level (when their pitching went to pieces in May and June), they went 7-23 in a 30-game stretch and nearly watched their season unravel. To avoid having that happen this time, the offense will have to heat up—Pete Crow-Armstrong's slump-busting virtuoso performance Monday was a good start—and the pitching staff will have to start missing more bats.

Chicago is built around elite defense, and suddenly, they don't have one. If they want to catch the Brewers (or beat them in October), they have to play their best baseball, and that's harder to do without Swanson. They showed great resiliency (and surprising depth, especially in the persons of Ramírez, Jacob Webb and company) in recovering from their last stumble, but they have to avoid another one. That will be easier said than done. Unless and until Swanson returns, it's time to switch into survival mode.

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