Craig Counsell and the Chicago Cubs are shaking up the lineup in an effort to get the most out of their offense.
As the team opened its road trip against NL Central opponents, Counsell bumped shortstop Dansby Swanson down in the order and moved hot-hitting catcher Carson Kelly into a prime spot Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
In a world where lineups around the league change daily, the Cubs actually have been remarkably consistent with their group — which is why this shift felt notable. The first seven hitters have been the same nearly every game so far in 2025:
- Ian Happ
- Kyle Tucker
- Seiya Suzuki
- Michael Busch
- Dansby Swanson
- Nico Hoerner
- Pete Crow-Armstrong
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The Cubs began the season with rookie third baseman Matt Shaw filling the No. 5 spot in the order and Swanson hitting sixth for the MLB Tokyo Series games against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But once the U.S. opener rolled around, Swanson has been locked into that No. 5 spot, starting every game there until Tuesday’s contest in Pittsburgh.
This shift comes on the heels of Swanson’s slow start to the season, as he is hitting just .181/.232/.345 (.577 OPS) in 29 games.
Kelly, meanwhile, has seen his name in either the eighth or ninth spot in the Cuns’ order in each of his starts prior to Tuesday. But Counsell opted for Kelly in the cleanup spot against Pirates left-hander Andrew Heaney.
Here is the full Cubs lineup Tuesday:
“Yeah, I think really mainly we just decided to move Dansby in the order for now and really flip-flop him and Carson, essentially, is how I see it,” Counsell told reporters in Pittsburgh before Tuesday’s game. “With some of the history of Heaney, that’s what put Michael Busch in the lineup a little bit. But just acknowledging what Carson’s done to this point and how well he’s swung the bat.”
Kelly has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball this season. The veteran catcher entered play Tuesday hitting .341/.517/.854 (1.371 OPS) with six homers and 18 RBI in 15 games.
He will fall back to earth some — his best season came in 2019 when he set career highs in homers (18) and OPS (.826). But for now, the Cubs will ride the hot hand, especially considering Kelly mashes against lefties throughout his career (.812 OPS).
Many fans have clamored for Pete Crow-Armstrong to hit higher in the Cubs’ order, given his recent hot stretch. But against a lefty, the Cubs opted to keep their young center fielder in the seventh spot. Though if Swanson ends up hitting lower in the order more consistently, we could see a ripple effect that includes Crow-Armstrong bumping up a spot or two against right-handed pitchers.
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Counsell and the Cubs certainly will take a daily approach to lineup construction and continue to trot out the order that works best against the opponent’s starting pitcher. Just because Kelly is hitting cleanup Tuesday doesn’t necessarily mean, for example, that he’ll man the same spot Thursday when the Cubs face phenom Paul Skenes.
It also wouldn’t be a surprise to see Swanson eventually move back up in the order. He has spent a big chunk of his career hitting in the middle of lineups, and the Cubs are counting on improved offensive production from him throughout the rest of the season.
“Dansby’s an offensive player who’s on the far end of streakiness and just who he is as a hitter,” Counsell said. “And he’s in a little bit of one of the ruts right now. In the good stretches, he can carry a team for 10 or so days and be the best offensive player.
“That’s just where we’re at right now. He’ll get out of it. His defense has been phenomenal and exceptional. We’ll just try to get him in one of those good stretches.”
Swanson hit 16 homers and drove in 66 runs with a .701 OPS last season after smacking 22 homers with 80 RBI and a .744 OPS in 2023, his first season on the North Side.
