Pete Crow-Armstrong's Injury Leads To New Defensive Alignment For Chicago Cubs

With Pete Crow-Armstrong out due to a bruised knee, Seiya Suzuki will play center field for the first time in his MLB career.

Chicago Cubs outfielders Pete Crow-Armstrong (4) and Seiya Suzuki (27) celebrate against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

Things will look a bit different for the Chicago Cubs on Monday against the Kansas City Royals.

In the midst of a potential MVP season, Pete Crow-Armstrong is not in the starting lineup due to a bruised right knee. The injury happened as he slid awkwardly into third base during a rundown on Sunday against the Red Sox.

“He just banged it up and woke up and felt a little swollen,” Counsell said before Monday’s game, per Marquee Network. “So, we’re just going to try to give him the day today and hopefully back in there tomorrow.”

Crow-Armstrong manned center field in 98 of the Cubs 99 games to begin the season, with Vidal Brujan making two appearances out there. But instead of Brujan, manager Craig Counsell picked Seiya Suzuki to play center field on Monday. Suzuki has been the team's primary designated hitter this season, doing so in 66 games. He also has 14 appearances in left field and 16 in right field, where he spent most of his time with the Cubs from 2022-24.

Monday's game represents Suzuki's first major league appearance in center field. He's played there just once in his professional career, doing so in 2014 with the Hiroshima Carp of the Japan Central League, per Baseball Reference. Ian Happ takes his usual position in left field, and Kyle Tucker remains in right field.

While the defensive alignment is certainly new, the Cubs have relied on their outfielders for a significant amount of offensive production this season. Entering Monday's game, Suzuki, Crow-Armstrong and Tucker each have OPS above .860 and rank top four on the team in home runs and RBI.

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