The Chicago Cubs are going for the series sweep on Wednesday afternoon against the Los Angeles Dodgers after defeating them 10-5 on Monday and 5-1 on Tuesday.
Ahead of Wednesday’s clash at Wrigley Field, which will feature Eric Lauer on the mound for L.A. and Shota Imanaga for the Cubs, Chicago manager Craig Counsell made a notable lineup change involving outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Cubs Announce Crow-Armstrong Change
While Crow-Armstrong has consistently been an everyday player in center field, Counsell decided to give him a break from defense on Wednesday and moved him into the designated hitter role.
He’ll still bat leadoff, but with the Cubs beginning a series against the Toronto Blue Jays on Thursday, giving PCA a much-needed break from covering ground and making plays in center field is understandable.
Alex Bregman served as the DH over the last two games, but he’ll return to third base Wednesday. Recently acquired Tyron Taylor will start in center field, with Ian Happ in left and Seiya Suzuki in right.
Cubs 8/5
P. Crow-Armstrong DH
S. Suzuki RF
A. Bregman 3B
C. Kelly C
M. Busch 1B
N. Hoerner 2B
I. Happ LF
D. Swanson SS
T. Taylor CFS. Imanaga SP— Underdog MLB (@UnderdogMLB) August 5, 2026
PCA’s 2026 Season
This season, the Cubs’ two-time All-Star is putting together a career year.
He’s currently batting .284 and leads all of MLB with a 7.0 WAR. Across 426 at-bats, he has recorded 76 runs, 121 hits, 24 home runs, 65 RBIs and 28 stolen bases while slugging .535 and maintaining a .919 OPS.
He’s currently on pace to post the best slugging percentage, OPS, batting average and hit total of his major league career, which began in 2023.
PCA was drafted by the New York Mets in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft before becoming part of the 2021 trade package that sent Javier Baez to New York and brought him to Chicago.
Chicago Cubs Announce Pete Crow-Armstrong Change During Dodgers Series