The Chicago Cubs will again look to bounce back tonight after the offense went cold, losing 8-1 against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Friday’s game.
The Cubs scored ten runs on the Diamondbacks in the first game of the season, so hopefully, the offense can wake back up and pull out a win tonight for Shota Imanaga.
The Cubs will shake up the starting lineup with two main pieces getting the night off.
Chicago Cubs change up their lineup for tonight’s game
The Cubs will give second baseman Nico Hoerner and third baseman Matt Shaw the night off, as manager Craig Counsell will give Jon Berti the start at second and Gage Workman the start at third.
Sho Time in the desert.
Watch the game live on the Marquee Sports Network App. pic.twitter.com/IWuXV7442e
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) March 29, 2025
Workman will be making his Major League debut tonight after making the jump from Double-A to the Major Leagues.
An opportunity for Workman
Workman came from the Detroit Tigers organization when the Cubs plucked him in the Rule 5 Pick this off-season.
By rule, since Workman was a Rule 5 pick, he must stay on the Cubs roster for the whole season or be returned to the Tigers. Workman made the decision easy for the Cubs to keep him after he had a fantastic spring.
Workman had plenty of opportunities this spring to showcase his talent, playing in 20 of the Cub’s spring games where he tore the cover off the ball. In those 20 games, the 25-year-old Workman had a slash line of .364/.420/.705 for an OPS of 1.125.
Workman also displayed his power, hitting four long balls and tallying 15 RBI. Workman didn’t appear in either of the two games the Cubs played over in Japan against the Los Angeles Dodgers, but did travel with the team to Japan.
Manager Craig Counsell is putting Workman in a good position by hitting him eighth. Batting him there should have Workman see more fastballs, which he could turn on and drive over the fence.
Is a possible platoon situation coming at third base?
Mar 16, 2025; Bunkyo, Tokyo, Japan; Cubs second baseman Gage Workman (center) runs to first base after hitting an RBI-single against the Yomiuri Giants to score center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong (background left) during the fifth inning at Tokyo Dome. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
If Workman shows signs of having success, the Cubs could look to go into a platoon situation for third base.
Shaw isn’t off to a great start this spring, hitting .118/.167/.118 for an OPS of .284 to start the year, but he still could get more runway to figure things out.
For now, Workman will be the guy manning third and will face Diamondbacks right-hander Brandon Pfaadt, who recently signed a five-year $45 million extension with the Diamondbacks.
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