Who’s hot, who’s not for the Chicago Cubs heading into the week

Chicago Cubs: Two outfielders are turning their seasons around

As recently as last week, I made the case Kyle Schwarber deserved to join his teammate Ian Happ at Triple-A to figure out his offensive struggles. Then, something clicked.

Over his last seven ballgames, the former first-round pick is slashing .389/.421/.556 – good for a .977 OPS. He’s still not walking enough (one walk to six strikeouts during that span), but he’s 7-for-18 with a trio of doubles. Given how badly he was struggling in the first few weeks of the season, any sign of positive momentum isn’t to be taken lightly.

Another Chicago Cubs outfielder, Albert Almora, followed up his scorching spring with one of the worst offensive stretches of his young career. He, like Schwarber, has turned it around on a dime, though, going 7 for his last 18 (.389) – which should undoubtedly make it easier for Maddon to insert him into the starting lineup. We all know what he’s capable of with the glove – but his bat will have to continue to play if he wants regular reps.

Are you ready? Big shocker here, Javier Baez continues to absolutely torch opposing pitching. His .996 OPS on the year ranks tenth among qualified National League hitters and his 22 RBI rank sixth. And that’s just what he’s done offensively. He continues to wreak havoc with his glove and his legs, as well – as he looks to follow up on his NL MVP runner-up 2018 campaign.