The Chicago Cubs were down 3-to-1 in the tenth inning of their Sunday night game at Wrigley Field against the Philadelphia Phillies.
There was quiet confidence among the Wrigley loyal, though, that their team could pull off a miraculous comeback. They’ve seen the comebacks before.
Heck, they’re just about a week removed from that wild come-from-behind win over the Arizona Diamondbacks where giving up a brutal ten spot in the eighth inning barely caused them to flinch before pushing their way to victory.
No Comeback For The Chicago Cubs This Time
Unfortunately, on Sunday, there was no comeback and the Cubs lost the series rubber match.
And shortstop Dansby Swanson was one of those who didn’t help spur on an extra-innings comeback.
That, in and of itself, is no major news. Players don’t always come through and even the very best hitters will fail at least 70% of the time.
Swanson, however, has been failing quite a lot– an uncomfortable lot…for quite awhile now.
Dansby Swanson Under The Spotlight
The 31-year-old’s .181 batting average, as of Sunday’s game, is actually a step up from where it was prior to a 3-game stretch, April 22 to April 25, where he went 4-for-11. Without that 3-game surge, he’d be hitting .162.
And that brings up the question of when/if patience will run out on the wait for Swanson to be the Swanson the Cubs signed to a 7-year, $177 million contract prior to the 2023 season.
Seeing how quickly the playoff-minded Cubs’ patience evaporated when it came to top prospect Matt Shaw and Rule 5 draft pick Gage Workman, one has to wonder whether there’s at least some inner rumbling about Swanson’s lack of production.
Of course, the situations are very different when comparing Swanson to Shaw or Workman.
Swanson is still an elite-level defender and has a career body of work showing that he can be an offensive impact player. Plus, how could anyone in the organization justify benching or releasing a guy making over $25 million a year?
But this 2025 slump is nothing new. The team has already waited through 2023 and 2024 for Swanson to be the multi-tool stud they signed to be a linchpin in their infield. Since becoming a Cub, he’s posted a .237 average, with power stats also trending down.
Swanson Has Under-Performed As A Cub
This uncomfortable “what to do about Dansby” question popped up at various spots in 2023 and 2024 as well.
“At some point Dansby Swanson has to come through…and at some point you have to make adjustments,” former Cubs outfielder and 17-year pro Cliff Floyd said last season, on Marquee Sports Network, as Swanson slumped in July.
“We might end up getting to the point where you have to single out guys, and it just is what it is.”
There was some hope headed into 2025 that Swanson’s offseason core surgery would strengthen his foundation and help fix the lingering injury issues that were said to have affected his play the past two seasons.
But, so far, except for offensive showings few and far between, the Cubs have just seen the worst of Swanson at the plate.
Randy Holt of North Side Baseball wrote of the Swanson dilemma back in mid-April, pointing out that the Cubs and their fans have probably seen the best of Dansby Swanson and will just have to accept the cold, hard reality:
“At this point, we kind of have to accept who & what the Chicago Cubs’ shortstop actually is: an above-average-to-excellent defensive infielder prone to hot stretches and even colder ones. To read anything further into it would be foolhardy in his age-31 season.”
With Swanson not likely to be benched or cut, it looks like the Cubs will have to just take what they can get at shortstop and hope for the best. Unless they really and truly have a short fuse these days when it comes to lack of performance.
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