The Cubs made their lineup announcement for Friday afternoon’s game at Wrigley Field against the Nationals, and it seems that the Pete Crow-Armstrong “reset” is now complete. The Cubs have him listed again in his usual center field spot, hopefully re-energized for the stretch run ahead of the team.
Crow-Armstrong had been out for Wednesday’s game against the Braves, a 5-1 loss, and had only come on as a pinch fielder on Tuesday vs. Atlanta. He has not had a plate appearance since Monday, when he went 1-for-4 in the series opener. With the Thursday day off, the Cubs basically gave PCA a seat for three days, a rare luxury at this time of year.
Crow-Armstrong still leads the National League in WAR this season (6.3) but had a brutal August in which he batted .160 with a .216 OBP and a .230 slugging mark. The Cubs desperately need him to turn things around.
Pete Crow-Armstrong Needed ‘A Real Break’
Though the Nationals are struggling this year, they have not been PCA’s favorite team to see. It’s only been three games, but he is 2-for-12 (.167) against Washington here in 2025. He has only hit .220 against them in 10 games in his career.
But the reset should, the team hopes, help.
“Just the thought was we’re kind of given a chance with the off day here is to give him a real break and to just kind of give him a reset a little bit,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said. “He basically didn’t do anything yesterday so it was like a full off day. Obviously he played (outfield) in the ninth inning but didn’t hit at all, really took the day off from hitting. …
“Just to get him a physical and mental break and go into the last three-and-a-half weeks of the season hopefully a little bit refreshed.”
Cubs Hope to Have Kyle Tucker Back This Weekend
While Crow-Armstrong’s return is welcome, the team is not starting Kyle Tucker on Friday, as many hoped. It’s entirely possible that the Cubs are just being cautious with Tucker–who injured his calf this week–here in the final month of the season, a luxury they have considering they lead the NL wild-card pack and are 9.0 games ahead of the Giants, who are the first team out of the playoffs.
But there’s hope, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN.
“Kyle Tucker (calf) won’t start today, per Craig Counsell. Team is hopeful he’ll play sometime this weekend. Could be at DH,” he wrote on Twitter/X.
Cubs Make Announcement on Crow-Armstrong After ‘Reset’