The Chicago Cubs are coming off a series victory over the Kansas City Royals, and they’ll head to Washington on Tuesday night to begin a three-game series against the Nationals.
Ahead of the matchup, Cubs manager Craig Counsell made several notable lineup changes, including a decision involving superstar and NL MVP candidate Pete Crow-Armstrong after the outfielder served as the designated hitter in three of the team’s last four games.
Cubs Announce Crow-Armstrong Decision
Crow-Armstrong’s recent stretch at DH had some Cubs fans concerned, but it appears Counsell simply wanted to give him a bit of a break after he started every game this season.
On Tuesday night, Crow-Armstrong returns to center field and will bat leadoff.
Here’s the full Cubs lineup:
Cubs 8/11
P. Crow-Armstrong CF
S. Suzuki RF
M. Busch 1B
A. Bregman 3B
I. Happ LF
N. Hoerner 2B
M. Conforto DH
C. Kelly C
D. Swanson SSS. Imanaga SP
— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 11, 2026
Crow-Armstrong’s MVP-Level Season
PCA has firmly placed himself in the NL MVP conversation alongside Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani with the season he’s having.
He enters Tuesday night batting .286 across 119 games with 84 runs, 128 hits, 26 home runs, 71 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. He’s also slugging .544 with a .931 OPS.
Cubs Right Now
Chicago remains firmly in the NL playoff race, but the Cubs continue to chase the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Milwaukee currently holds a 5.0-game lead over Chicago in the division.
The Cubs enter Tuesday with a 69-50 record. If the season ended today, they would hold the top Wild Card spot and host the Arizona Diamondbacks in a best-of-three series at Wrigley Field.
Chicago Cubs Announce Pete Crow-Armstrong Decision Before Nationals Series