Michael Busch's Stats, Metrics, Game Logs, Projections & Rankings

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.

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.