Chicago Cubs: 2 players who’ve justified team’s faith and 1 who hasn’t

Given the sheer number of injuries the Chicago Cubs have battled through, it’s been an all hands on deck type of approach for the team. With that you’ve seen some guys step up and seize the opportunity at hand and others who’ve missed the mark.

Despite hardly ever fielding what we anticipated would be the regular starting lineup, the Cubs entered Thursday’s off-day with a slim lead over the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central. Chicago welcomes the rival Cardinals to a 100 percent capacity Wrigley Field Friday coming off a series win over the Padres to close out their West Coast road trip.

At the end of the day, as Ron Coomer was talking about on Wednesday’s broadcast, you’d think guys will start to play themselves into baseball shape. We’re now past the 60-game mark that constituted the entirety of the 2020 season and, with 100 contests to go, Chicago needs to be healthy if it’s going to contend during the dog days of summer.

Chicago Cubs have gotten an otherworldly performance from Patrick Wisdom

No player has taken advantage of the opportunity presented by injuries more than Patrick Wisdom. This guy is hitting the ball out of the yard at a Barry Bonds-esque pace and, while we all know it won’t last, it’s been a heck of a ride to this point.

Heading into the weekend, Wisdom is slashing .364/.417/.955 with a 273 OPS+ and has helped cover up some key guys who have scuffled at the plate lately. Without Wisdom, there’s no way the road trip to San Diego and San Francisco would’ve gone as well as it did – and there’s no doubt the Cubs would be looking up in the race for the division crown.

"“It’s incredible. It’s a homer every time,” Wisdom’s teammate Ian Happ said. “As soon as he hit it, it’s like, ‘Oh, there’s another one.’ The guy’s got seven pumps already and hasn’t been here that long.”"

Even when the Cubs return to full strength, if Wisdom keeps hitting like this, you can bet that Ross will start by penciling his name in and work out from there. He’s done everything asked and expected of him – and then some – and the team will keep feeding him as long as possible.