Craig Counsell's decision to trust Michael Busch even more is working for Cubs

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch is finally getting a chance to consistently face left-handed pitching, and the early results are encouraging.

In Busch's first two seasons with the Cubs, the team was hesitant to trust him against lefties even though he was the de facto starting first baseman. More often than not, the team opted to platoon him and start a right-handed bat when the Cubs faced a southpaw starting pitcher, and he only got 95 plate appearances against lefties in 2025.

Although Busch only had a .642 OPS against lefties last year, hitting coach Dustin Kelly said he earned the right to get those at-bats after his 34 home run/90 RBI season last year, and the early returns look good in 2026. Through Busch's first 14 plate appearances against left-handed pitching this year, he has two hits and four walks, good enough for a solid .429 on-base percentage. One of those hits helped fuel the team's five-run rally against Angels' starter Yusei Kikuchi last Wednesday, a guy with 189 career MLB starts under his belt.

Even when Busch doesn't get on base, he's been patient. He's seen 60 pitches through those first 14 plate appearances against lefties, including Cleveland Guardians starter Jose Cantillo. Despite not reaching base, Busch smacked two 95+ mph line drives off Cantillo last Friday that just happened to result in unlucky lineouts.

Michael Busch's platoon days in the Cubs' starting lineup might be over

The Cubs made it clear that Busch will be in the lineup almost every day in 2026, and he's already making the most of that opportunity. After being one of the most productive first basemen in the league last year, having Busch in the lineup as much as possible can only help the team's offense, especially if he continues to be competitive in those lefty-on-lefty scenarios.

Busch's continued development will also make lineup decisions much easier for Manager Craig Counsell, who doesn't even have a clear backup first baseman on the active roster. Justin Turner played that role in 2025, but the Cubs declined the 40-year-old's club option for 2026, and the Cubs opted to sign Tyler Austin instead.

But Austin went down with knee surgery and will be out for several months, leaving the current team with few options aside from catchers like Miguel Amaya. But Amaya only has 36 career starts at first base. All of them were in the minor leagues, and most of those starts (32) were in the first three seasons of his professional career (2016-18).

Just before the season began, Counsell told the media that Busch's backup will be Iowa Cubs' first baseman Jonathon Long, who was the team's minor league player of the year in 2025. But Long's path to the majors likely won't happen unless Busch hits the injured list, which remarkably hasn't happened yet in his Major League career.

The Cubs don't really have a good platoon option for Busch, and it looks like they don't even need one unless his production against lefties becomes a blatant liability.