Tyrone Taylor’s Strong Start Creates a Cubs Outfield Dilemma

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The 2026 trade deadline for the Chicago Cubs was headlined by the additions they made to their pitching staff. The front office added a trio of starters (Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes and Braxton Garrett) just before the deadline, while David Peterson joined the rotation earlier this summer. They also added reliever Ryan Zeferjahn, but one other addition flew somewhat under the radar amid all the pitching reinforcements: outfielder Tyrone Taylor.

Taylor came over from the New York Mets alongside Holmes, in the deal that sent shortstop prospect Jefferson Rojas to Queens. At the time, it was difficult to envision Taylor getting much playing time in Chicago. The Cubs already had a crowded outfield, and he seemed destined to serve primarily as a short-side platoon bat against left-handed pitching and a fourth outfielder off the bench. That has been more or less the case since his arrival. But there’s one important wrinkle: Taylor has been really good—maybe good enough to force the issue a bit.

It’s obviously still a tiny sample, but Taylor has made the most of his opportunities. Through 28 at-bats with the Cubs, he’s slashing .321/.412/.393. He hasn’t hit a home run yet, but he’s consistently getting on base and putting the ball in play. That’s exactly what the Cubs were hoping to get when they acquired him. Taylor gives Counsell another right-handed option who can handle left-handed pitching, and that creates a pretty interesting question for Chicago’s outfield.

There are currently six outfielders on the major-league roster: Pete Crow-Armstrong, Seiya Suzuki, Ian Happ, Taylor, Kevin Alcántara and Michael Conforto. That’s already a lot of bodies for three positions, but it becomes an even bigger problem when Matt Shaw makes his return. Shaw has been out since late June with a sprained left hand, but he’s currently on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa. He’s gone 4-10 at the plate over three games, and his return is clearly getting closer.

Like Taylor, Shaw gives the Cubs a right-handed bat who can provide some value against left-handed pitching. And because he made the transition to right field this past offseason, there’s a pretty clear path for him to remain part of the outfield mix when he returns. Of course, the Cubs almost have too many options at this point. Six outfielders is already overkill for a three-man starting group, let alone seven. So something is going to have to give.

Just to get it out of the way, that probably means Alcántara is once again the odd man out. The Cubs have already optioned Alcántara to Triple-A multiple times this season, so there is precedent for him being the casualty of a crowded position-player group. More importantly, his major-league production simply hasn’t stacked up with what Shaw can provide. Alcántara is also one of several right-handed bats already occupying the roster, which makes it even more difficult to justify keeping him around if the Cubs need to clear a spot.

Taylor’s situation is different. The Cubs just acquired him, he fills a specific need, and he’s already shown that he can produce in the role they envisioned for him. It would be pretty surprising to see Chicago move on from him after acquiring him specifically to give the lineup another right-handed option. Conforto should remain a strong-side platoon option against right-handed pitching, too. But because his defensive profile is different from the rest of Chicago’s outfielders, he can also take on more of the DH workload, which helps alleviate some of the roster crunch. That leaves Shaw and Taylor as the really interesting pieces.

Because of Shaw’s limited exposure to left and center field, it seems pretty likely that right field remains his primary home. Suzuki, of course, will continue to receive the bulk of the work there, but against left-handed pitching, either player could slide into the DH spot, depending on how Counsell wants to construct the lineup. There’s also the possibility of Shaw getting some work at third base. With the Cubs dealing with limited infield depth, his versatility could be just as valuable on the dirt as it is in the outfield.

Taylor, meanwhile, has primarily worked in left field this season, which happens to fit pretty nicely into the Cubs’ current configuration. Happ’s struggles against left-handed pitching have created an opportunity for him to take some of those at-bats, while Crow-Armstrong has center field locked down. The Cubs didn’t acquire him because they needed another everyday outfielder. They acquired him because they needed another weapon, particularly against left-handed pitching, and he’s already shown that he can be useful in that role.

The Cubs now have (almost) too many outfield options, which is a great problem to have with the postseason approaching. Still, it’s a problem they’re going to have to solve. When Shaw returns, Chicago will have to figure out how to distribute playing time among a group that includes several legitimate options. Alcántara appears to be the most likely odd man out, while Taylor has done enough in limited opportunities to make his role considerably more interesting than it looked when he arrived. The Cubs may have a roster configuration headache coming their way, but when the most meaningful stretch of the season arrives, having too many capable outfielders is exactly the kind of problem every contender would love to have.