Jed Hoyer flat-out refuses to make a change the Cubs desperately need right now

Dansby Swanson isn't just in a slump. It's more than a rough stretch at the plate. Entering Thursday's rubber match (weather pending) against the Rockies, Swanson has the lowest batting average by any Chicago Cubs player with at least 265 plate appearances dating back more than 100 years.

He's been a complete liability at the plate for months now and with Matt Shaw and Pedro Ramirez both currently on the 26-man roster, now seems as good a time as any to pull the plug on the Gold Glover and see if some time off can help him figure things out. Unfortunately, that's not the plan, according to Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer.

Dansby Swanson remains an elite defensive shortstop, despite struggles

To his credit, Swanson hasn't allowed his continuing struggles at the plate leak into what he does defensively. He ranks in the 98th percentile in Outs Above Average, tied with White Sox rookie Colson Montgomery for the second-highest mark among big-league shortstops, trailing only Bobby Witt Jr. of the Royals.

Dating back to May 2, the former first-round pick has been a total liability offensively, slashing just .142/.227/.205 - good for a 26 wRC+. Craig Counsell attempted to get him off his feet for a couple days earlier this month, but that did little to help get Swanson back on track. Over his last seven games, he's struck out in more than 37 percent of his trips to the plate and has just two hits.

Long-term, there isn't a clear pivot for Hoyer to make. Swanson is under contract through the end of 2029 and will make $28, $28 and $26 million, respectively, over the next three years. The Cubs aren't going to eat that money and can only hope he can sort some things out and at least start to provide some value with the bat.

That being said, this is a Cubs team that has more problems than solutions and is quickly seeing their hopes of reclaiming the NL Central vanish. A major shake-up that removes Swanson from the equation shouldn't be dismissed out of hand, regardless of the fact that he remains one of the best defenders in all of baseball.

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