Dansby Swanson knows what he needs to fix at the plate... so when will he do it?

As we turn the page on a, well, pretty confusing month of May that saw the Cubs win 10 straight and lose 10 straight as the Milwaukee Brewers seized control of the division, there's no shortage of storylines to discuss when it comes to this team.

But given his status as the owner of the second-largest contract in franchise history, Dansby Swanson's offensive woes are one of the biggest stories - and rightfully so. After getting off to a hot start with 23 RBI in April, the two-time All-Star went into a tailspin at the plate in May, and has been a complete liability at the plate.

In 101 plate appearances this month, Swanson has slashed just .154/.230/.220 and it feels like a foregone conclusion every time he steps to the plate with men on that he won't deliver. With runners in scoring position, he's batting just .148. With men on? .198. In what Baseball Reference deems 'high leverage' spots, he's been at his worst, slashing .100/.208/.275.

Swanson has been working with Cubs hitting coach Dustin Kelly on making adjustments at the dish but, so far, the results haven't come - and it's leaving a gaping hole in the lineup, even with Craig Counsell pushing his veteran shortstop to the ninth spot in the order.

“We understand he’s getting a ton of sliders down and away,” Kelly said. “He’s chasing. Why is he chasing those? He’s not looking down and away, but the body is not really allowing him to move and shut down on those pitches.”

Breaking balls and offspeed pitches have been a major problem for Swanson. Even a cursory glance at his zone heat maps paint a clear picture of what's going wrong for him right now. Opposing pitchers know, Swanson and the Cubs know - and now, it's up to the latter to make adjustments moving forward.

Dansby Swanson's struggles + deal have fans thinking Jason Heyward

With three-and-a-half years and roughly $100 million (including the rest of his 2026 salary) left on his deal, Swanson continuing to be a total liability at the plate is a disastrous possibility for the Cubs. Fans are already panicked, just a few years removed from Jason Heyward and his disappointing performance after landing the richest deal in Cubs history.

Now, Chicago has already gotten far more value out of Swanson than they did even over the full course of Heyward's deal (14.9 bWAR to 9.1 bWAR), but that won't make anyone feel better if this is the new norm for the former first-rounder. The Cubs need him to figure it out because towing around nine figures of dead weight the next three-plus years isn't something this team wants to deal with.

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