A different name was written on the lineup card in the place of PCA for the Cubs’ most recent 4-3 win against the Braves on September 2nd. Kevin Alcántara, who joined the team after the club optioned Owen Caissie back to Triple-A, was playing in the center and batted ninth for the Cubs. And the move paid off as Alacantra, who went 1 for 3, started the rally in the third after Shaw popped out, and it was the only inning where the Cubs scored game-winning 4 runs. But still, why was the move necessary at all?

Marquee Sports Network tweeted a video of Craig Counsell explaining the lineup switch, where he said, “We were just looking ahead at the schedule, um, over the you know, before the week on the on the road trip and saw this day and, you know, look Pete’s been out there a whole bunch”.

The Cubs manager further added, “and it’s because of his defense that it’s, you know, he’s so valuable on defense, no matter what’s going on at the plate. And so for that reason, he’s had very few off days. Um, so yeah, we got a chance to get him one here and, um, good spot for Kevin to get in there.”

Yes, Pete Crow-Armstrong has very few off days, playing 136 of the Cubs’ 139 games. But the most crucial reason was PCA’s August swoon. He had a slash line of .160/.216/.230 with a .446 OPS and 1 home run during that streak. And his wRC+ in this period became 22, which is 78 percent below the league average during that period.

And the Cubs’ president of baseball operations, Jed Hoyer, already hinted at this: “Hoping to give Pete some more days off, and you want him fresh and playing well. So that was the mindset,” for the final stretch and a potential postseason run.

And for Alcantra, who was slashing .266/.349/.470 with 17 home runs over 430 plate appearances this season in AAA, can be a perfect platoon piece because his slash line of  .319/.398/.604 against southpaws in 2025 makes his OPS-1.002, a figure that can help the team with an 18-19 record against the southpaws, any day.

And the Cubs enter September under real pressure with a 79-59 record and trailing 5 games behind the Brewers. In the Wild Card race, another contending team, the San Diego Padres, is breathing down their necks, with a 76-62 division record. In such a situation, this single roster tweak shows short-term urgency with long-term player development, as the Cubs wait for PCA to get back in form.

The Cubs are betting on historical evidence of PCA’s bounce back

PCA started 2024 on an inconsistent note, hitting just .197 with a .521 OPS in his first 71 games. But after a two-homer game against  Los Angeles on April 13, everything turned around, and he was in the form of his life till till the All-Star break.

Even his rookie season in 2023 was the same when he was hitting only .145 and .197 in June and July before finishing the season strongly, with a stat line of .314 and .256 in the last two months of the season.

The Cubs have proof that this “reset” strategy works when they recently used it with another struggling star, Kyle Tucker. The four-time All-Star was in a horrible slump in August, hitting just .148. Counsell decided to give him a few days off on August 19th, and Owen Caissie filled his position. Since returning, Tucker has a .417 batting average with 15 hits, 3 homers in his last 10 games.

And of course, PCA isn’t the only issue the front office is trying to solve. The entire offense went cold in August, ranking a miserable 28th in all of baseball by scoring just 3.66 runs per game. The pitching staff also needed help, especially after losing ace Justin Steele for the season. In response, the front office signed veteran first baseman Carlos Santana and starting pitcher Aaron Civale off waivers to add depth. These moves, along with the promotion of Alcántara, show the front office is trying to plug every hole for the final push toward October baseball.