Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch will start Friday's series opener against the visiting New York Mets at Wrigley Field on the bench with left-hander Jose Quintana on the mound. In just 26 at-bats against left-handers this year, Busch has eight hits but hasn't gone deep against them. He'll take a seat anyway in favor of Patrick Wisdom, who will start at first and bat fifth against Quintana. Busch is currently riding a eight-game hitting streak in which he's gone 11-for-25 (.440) with a homer, two doubles, three RBI, three walks and six strikeouts in 28 plate appearances. In his first full season in the big leagues in 2024, Busch has provided some decent power as a corner-infield option in deep-mixed leagues with his nine home runs. Wisdom could be a smart sleeper choice for DFS lineups, as he's hitting .286 with a home run and RBI in seven career at-bats against Quintana.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch homered in Monday's 7-6 loss at the San Francisco Giants, his first dinger since going deep on May 28. Busch's ninth homer was a two-run shot in the sixth inning that gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead. He is hitting .324/.425/.471 with a .896 OPS in June. Overall, Busch is slashing .255/.350/.450 with a .800 OPS with 26 RBI and 31 runs scored. Busch is a solid second-tier first baseman whose value increases in leagues that use OBP or OPS as a category.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch will not be in the starting lineup for Friday's matinee affair against the visiting division-rival Cincinnati Reds. Cody Bellinger is making the start at first base and will bat third, while rookie Pete-Crow Armstrong is in center field and is hitting in the eight-hole against Reds right-hander Graham Ashcraft. Bellinger is swinging a hot bat right now for fantasy managers and has a solo home run in two career at-bats against Ashcraft. The Cubs recalled Crow-Armstrong from the minors on Thursday, which means the 26-year-old Busch could see more frequent time on the bench if the team is adamant about getting Crow-Armstrong consistent playing time. Outside of homering in five straight games early in the season, Busch has disappointed in the month of May and is hitting .208 (15-for-72) with two homers, six RBI and 32 K's in 85 plate appearances.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch played the hero in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Padres. Busch went 2-for-4 with a single, a walk-off home run, and a strikeout. The 26-year-old has cooled off at the plate but is still slashing a respectable .262/.316/.500 with seven HR and 19 RBI in 136 plate appearances. Hopefully, he can get things firing on all cylinders again.
Chicago Cubs infielder Michael Busch is not in the team's starting lineup for Game 1 of a twin bill on Saturday against the Miami Marlins and left-hander Jesus Luzardo. The lefty-swinging Busch is off to a massive start to the season but has struggled in limited time against same-handed pitching. Busch has hit .317 with six home runs, three doubles, and a 1.067 OPS across 70 plate appearances on the season but is just 1-for-9 (.111) with a walk across only 10 trips to the plate against southpaw pitching. All nine of the 26-year-old's extra-base hits have come against right-handers. Despite his struggles against lefties, Busch has cemented himself as a strong fantasy asset, even at the first base position, with a history of hitting for big-time power in his minor-league career.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch and catcher Yan Gomes are not in the starting lineup on Friday against the visiting Miami Marlins and left-hander A.J. Puk. Garrett Cooper is playing first base and batting seventh in the lineup, while Miguel Amaya is doing the catching and batting in the nine-hole against Puk. Busch had a streak of five straight games with a home run come to an end this week and he's hitting a strong .317 (19-for-60) overall with six total long balls, 13 RBI and 10 runs scored to start his first year in Chicago. He's hit just .167 (4-for-24) and has yet to homer against a left-hander in his career, though, so he'll likely occasionally be rested against lefties this year. Cooper has never faced Puk in his career, while Amaya has a hit and RBI in his only career at-bat against the southpaw.
Michael Busch Extends Home Run Streak To Five Games
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch has been feeling really comfortable so far in his first year with the Cubs and he extended his home run streak to five straight games in Monday's 3-2 extra-inning win over the Arizona Diamondbacks by going 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and two strikeouts. The 26-year-old has now tied the franchise's longest home run streak and has six long balls in the early going, necessitating a pickup off your league's waiver wire if he's somehow still available. Busch's homer binge obviously won't last, but he's so far been a fantastic late-round value pick by fantasy managers in 2024. After Monday's game, he's hitting .327 (17-for-52) with six homers, 12 RBI and nine runs scored in his first 16 games with the Cubbies.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch has been off to a red-hot start to begin the season. On Sunday, Busch went 2-for-4 with a home run in the 3-2 victory over the Seattle Mariners. The left-handed slugger has now homered in four straight contests. He's slashing an impressive .327/.393/.694 heading into Monday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Fantasy managers better make sure Busch isn't on the waiver wire or sitting on the bench heading into next week.
Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch homered in his third straight game on Saturday in a 4-1 victory over the Mariners. Busch finished 2-for-4 and is now 6-for-14 (.428) over his last four games with a double, three home runs, two walks, four RBI and three runs scored. He's also hit safely in nine of his last 10, with a BA of .311 on the young season. The 26-year-old didn't have much success last season in his debut with the Dodgers but has hit the ground running in Chicago. The former top-100 prospect is rostered in just 37% of Yahoo leagues, so managers in need of depth should consider picking him up, and he's also eligible at both first base and third base which gives managers added flexibility.
Chicago Cubs infielder Michael Busch is out of the starting lineup ahead of Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies. This marks the first time this season that Busch will take a seat. This makes sense to give Busch some rest against a left-handed starting pitcher. In his place, Garrett Cooper will cover first base and bat seventh versus southpaw Kyle Freeland. This is a favorable matchup for Cooper, but he won't be anything more than a deep league streaming option.
