Cubs’ depth, mettle to be examined with Seiya Suzuki and Cody Bellinger accidents: Can lineup step up on offense?

At 14-9 by their first 25 video games, the Chicago Cubs are off to a really good begin. It hasn’t all been optimistic and it is potential a few of these 4 blown Adbert Alzolay saves will come again to chunk them — bear in mind, they missed the playoffs by only one sport final 12 months — however they’re now gazing a tall order for the following month-plus, in all probability. 

Two of their greatest place gamers are out for a bit. Seiya Suzuki was positioned on the injured checklist final Monday with an indirect damage. On Wednesday, the Cubs revealed that Cody Bellinger has two fractured ribs and positioned him on the injured checklist. 

Suzuki has began “mild” baseball exercise, however continues to be weeks from a minor-league rehab task. With Bellinger, the common time on the injured checklist for a fractured rib is 51 days, or greater than seven weeks, in accordance with Baseball Prospectus’ restoration database.

Suzuki and Bellinger have been the Cubs’ 2-3 hitters within the lineup when wholesome and now the group faces the prospect of lacking each, concurrently, for a number of weeks.

By way of 15 video games, Suzuki was trying like a breakout participant within the midst of his first MLB All-Star season. He’s hitting .305/.368/.525 (147 OPS+) with 4 doubles, three homers, 13 RBI and 11 runs. Bellinger is just hitting .226, however his .760 OPS is lots good (111 OPS+) alongside together with his 5 homers and team-leading 17 RBI. He obtained the scoring began Tuesday evening with a two-run shot and the Cubs by no means regarded again en path to a 7-2 win over the Astros.

The thought course of when Suzuki went down was that Bellinger was one of many gamers who wanted to step up. Now with each out, we’ll see what sort of depth and mettle the Cubs can present. 

So far as who must step up, when shedding two gamers with the upside of Suzuki and Bellinger, it is gotta be a collective effort.

• Veteran fixture Ian Happ missed video games over the weekend with a hamstring subject, however he is already again. The Cubs might positive use one of the best model of Happ.
• Mike Tauchman homered twice on Tuesday evening and is hitting .283/.397/.491 now. Nothing within the observe document of the 33-year-old part-timer suggests he might play like that over a full season, however the Cubs will hope he will be productive right here within the brief run. 
• The outfield will likely be stuffed with Happ, Tauchman and two children. Alexander Canario was recalled from the minors when Suzuki was positioned on the IL. In solely 14 profession MLB video games, he is hit .290 with a .613 slugging and two homers in 31 at-bats. He is proven good upside within the minors, too. Additionally, Pete Crow-Armstrong has been summoned now with Bellinger’s damage. He is already a plus defender in middle subject. He was 0 for 14 with seven strikeouts on the plate throughout his temporary stint within the majors final season, although, and is hitting .203/.241/.392 thus far in Triple-A this 12 months. 
• Offensively, the Cubs might stand to see elevated manufacturing from Christopher Morel. He is solely hitting .200 with a .353 slugging. There is a ton of upside in there, as evidenced by the 26 homers in 388 at-bats final 12 months. They want him to get sizzling fairly rapidly now. 
• There’s additionally some degree of hope that Matt Mervis might get it going in some unspecified time in the future in a DH function. After an 0 for 3 evening Tuesday, he is now a profession .161/.235/.280 hitter within the majors. In 179 profession Triple-A video games, he is hitting .287/.393/.556 with 45 doubles and 42 homers. At 26, he is dangerously near being slotted as a Quad-A participant. That is his likelihood to keep away from such a destiny. 

Nico Hoerner has not too long ago gotten scorching sizzling they usually could not ask for rather more from Michael Busch — or catcher Miguel Amaya, actually, given his lower-order spot within the lineup. Tauchman has been nice they usually’ll hope he continues to be useful. 

With Bellinger and Suzuki out, the remainder of the Cubs’ offense wants to point out the mettle of a contender. Some mixture of Happ, Canario, Crow-Armstrong, Morel and/or Mervis must be the one(s) to step as much as substitute the misplaced manufacturing. 

If not, what has began out as a promising season might properly find yourself similar to final 12 months.