Craig Counsell Revealed Lineup Change That Will Please Cubs Fans in 2026
Our long, national nightmare is over. Have you been a victim of dreading what the Cubs’ lineup will look like when a left-handed starting pitcher is scheduled to make a start, knowing that Craig Counsell is obsessed with ruining your life by relegating Michael Busch to the bench? Well, fear no more because the Cubs manager is no longer brainwashed into handling of the team’s best hitters as if he’s another data point on a spread sheet.
OK, that was a little extreme, but the point remains, Michael Busch will no longer be cornered into a strong-side platoon. During this past week’s Cubs Con, Counsell told fans that at the end of the 2025 season he went to Busch with a message; Busch will be play every day regardless of the opposing starting pitcher.
Busch had an outstanding second season with the Cubs in 2025, ending the year with 34 home runs and a 140 wRC+, both numbers leading the team. The left-handed hitting first baseman slashed .261/.343/.523, in 592 plate appearances and he was especially great against right-handed pitching, posting a 151 wRC+ in 497 plate appearances against them.
Counsell has obviously been careful using Busch against left-handed pitching. In 2024, Busch had 567 total plate appearances and 100 were vs. left-handed pitchers. In 2025, Busch was given fewer plate appearances against lefties, only 95 out of 592.
His chances against LHP were few and far between during the first three months of the 2025 season and whether you attribute the bad numbers because of lack of rhythm or skill, Busch really struggled with a slash line of .105/.209/.132, with 10 strikeouts in 38 at-bats. Yet, that sample size was only 43 plate appearances and while Counsell didn’t necessarily ramp up Busch’s playing time against lefties from July through the end of the season, Busch turned the corner in the final three months of 2025.
Michael Busch vs. LHP in 2025
March-June: 43 PA, 0 HR, .105/.209/.132, 5 wRC+, 10 K, 4 BB
July-Sept.: 52 PA, 4 HR, .286/.327/.551, 143 wRC+, 16 K, 3 BB
Busch became much more aggressive and while the strikeouts increased vs LHP so did his power numbers from July through September. Again, these are still small sample sizes and through his entire MLB career Busch is hitting .230/.295/.366, resulting in an 87 wRC+ vs. LHP. Obviously not good, but not awful either. He made substantial strides in the second of 2025, and after his breakout performance in the postseason there’s no more denying that Busch should be an every-day starter regardless of the matchup.
CHC – Michael Busch Solo HR (4)
— MLB Home Runs (@MLBHRs_) October 10, 2025
NLDS Game 3
401 ft | 108.1 mph | 33°
93.7 mph four-seam fastball (MIL – LHP Robert Gasser)
Out in 24/30 MLB parks
MIL (0) @ CHC (6)
8th#BeHereForIt #Postseason pic.twitter.com/tYvbZcZxAu
By the way, Busch went 4-for-11, with that solo home run in Game 4 of the NLDS against lefties in the playoffs.