Busch went 0-for-1 with four walks during Sunday's 3-0 loss to the Reds in 10 innings.
Busch didn't generate a hit in the final series of the regular season. going 0-for-7 across the three-game set against Cincinnati. However, he did walk four times in Sunday's regular-season finale. It was just his sixth game with multiple walks this season and the performance set a career high in the category. The 26-year-old finishes 2024 with a .248/.335/.440 slash line, 21 home runs, 65 RBI and 73 runs scored.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Remaining out Wednesday
Rotowire
Busch (triceps) isn't in the Cubs' lineup for Wednesday's game versus the Phillies.
Busch departed Tuesday's game early after getting hit in the arm by a pitch, and he'll now take a day off to recover during Wednesday's series finale. His absence will put Cody Bellinger at first base, opening up right field for Kevin Alcantara to make his MLB debut while batting ninth.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Resting Saturday
Rotowire
Busch isn't in the Cubs' lineup Saturday against Colorado.
Although Busch has gone 8-for-17 with two homers and seven RBI over his last four games, the Cubs will sit him down for Saturday's contest while Patrick Wisdom starts at first base and bats sixth.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Homers in three-hit effort
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Busch went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run in Friday's 9-5 loss to the Rockies.
Busch went deep with two runners on in the eighth inning, giving him 18 home runs and 59 RBI for the season. The 26-year-old is enjoying his first year in Chicago, as he's gotten a chance to play regularly at first base and is sporting a respectable .778 OPS across 138 games. With this being his first real taste of extended MLB action, Busch could be poised for a step forward in 2025 now that he has more experience under his belt.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Taking seat Sunday
Rotowire
Busch is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Yankees.
Busch went 1-for-17 while starting the past seven games but will sit Sunday against New York righty Gerrit Cole. Cody Bellinger will shift to first base while Mike Tauchman receives a start in right field.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Reaches four times in romp
Rotowire
Busch went 3-for-5 with a walk, a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Saturday's 14-2 win over the Marlins.
Busch chipped in three of his team's 17 total hits as the offense carried the Cubs to victory. The young first baseman continues to have a productive first season in Chicago, as he's batting .258 with a .795 OPS across 123 games. With the Cubs giving Pete Crow-Armstrong an extended look in center field, Cody Bellinger has had to play elsewhere, including in right and serving as the DH, as he did Saturday. Bellinger is also an option to play at first when he's not in center, but so far, the Cubs have opted to keep Busch in the lineup as often as possible except against lefty starters.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Idle against lefty
Rotowire
Busch is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Guardians.
The lefty-hitting Busch will take a seat Tuesday as southpaw Matthew Boyd takes the mound for Cleveland. Patrick Wisdom will bat fifth and play first base.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Getting night off
Rotowire
Busch is out of the lineup for Friday's game against the White Sox.
Busch had started the Cubs' first seven games of August -- going 7-for-24 with three homers -- but will get some rest Friday. In his place, Patrick Wisdom will play first base and bat second.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Homers in win Wednesday
Rotowire
Busch went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored in Wednesday's 8-2 win over the Twins.
After going 0-for-4 with four strikeouts in Monday's game against his hometown team, Busch ended the series on a high note. The first baseman clobbered his 16th home run of the season and fourth in his last 10 games. If he can stay healthy, Busch seems primed to reach the 20-homer plateau for the first time in his young career in what's been a nice debut campaign with the Cubs.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Homers again in loss
Rotowire
Busch went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 5-4 loss to the Cardinals.
Busch hit a two-run homer in the first inning and singled in the fifth. He has gone just 6-for-33 in his past 10 games, but three of those hits have left the park. On the season, the first baseman is hitting .260 with 15 home runs, 43 RBI and 52 runs scored across 392 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Taking seat Wednesday
Rotowire
Busch is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Reds.
Busch will be joined on the bench by fellow left-handed hitter Mike Tauchman while the Reds send southpaw Nick Lodolo to the hill. Patrick Wisdom will cover first base in Busch's stead.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Blasts 13th home run
Rotowire
Busch went 1-for-3 with a solo homer and a walk in Monday's 7-1 loss to the Reds.
Busch provided the only offense for the Cubs on Monday with a solo home run off Buck Farmer in the ninth inning. Busch's 13 homers are the second most by a rookie in MLB this season, trailing Colton Cowser (15). Busch continues his strong rookie campaign with a solid month of July in which he's hitting .273 with a .780 OPS.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Provides offense Monday
Rotowire
Busch went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Monday's 7-1 loss to the Reds.
Busch connected for his 13th home run of the season in the ninth inning, giving the Cubs a small bit of positivity in a lopsided loss. The 26-year-old has been a positive all year with an .804 OPS across 101 games. There were some questions in the offseason about Busch's potential role with the Cubs, but he's seized a regular job at first base with his solid play and should stick there the rest of the way.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Records two hits off bench
Rotowire
Busch went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 7-3 win over the Royals.
Busch entered as a pinch-hitter for Christopher Morel in the fourth inning, with the latter getting traded to the Rays mid-game as part of the package for Isaac Paredes. Busch then proceeded to snap out of an 0-for-14 slump with the multi-hit afternoon. Paredes figures to replace Morel at third for the Cubs, so Busch should stick as the team's primary first baseman following his interrupted day of rest Sunday.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Sitting Sunday
Rotowire
Busch is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's series finale against Kansas City.
The lefty-hitting Busch will take a seat Sunday with the Royals sending southpaw Cole Ragans to the mound. Patrick Wisdom will start at first base and bat second.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Stellar offensive display in win
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Busch went 4-for-6 with a solo home run and an additional run in Tuesday's 9-2 win over the Orioles.
Busch got the scoring started Tuesday by taking Dean Kremer deep in the top of the first and kept it going by registering his first four-hit game of the season. Busch has homered in back-to-back games, with the two blasts matching the total he had in his previous 32 games combined. The 26-year-old has now left the yard on 12 occasions overall, tying him with Jackson Merrill and Colton Cowser for the most by a rookie this season.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Belts homer in loss
Rotowire
Busch went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run and a walk against the Giants in Monday's loss.
Busch gave Chicago its first lead with a two-run blast to center field in the sixth inning. It was his first long ball over his past 17 contests and just his second across his past 32 games. Busch began the campaign with six homers through 16 contests, so the fact that he's still yet to reach double digits in that category emphasizes the extent to which he's slowed down. Still, the first baseman has been hitting well lately, batting .370 over his past 27 at-bats.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Sitting out Saturday
Rotowire
Busch is absent from the lineup for Saturday's game against the Cardinals.
Right-hander Andre Pallante is starting for the Cardinals and has reverse splits, so Busch will begin this one on the bench. Cody Bellinger is handling first base and Pete Crow-Armstrong will patrol center field.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Reaches three times in loss
Rotowire
Busch went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double and a run scored in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Reds.
Busch came into the contest in a bit of a slump, as he was just 1-for-10 over his previous six games. Overall, he's slowed down some after a strong start to the season, though he still has a solid .783 OPS and provides decent pop against righties. While Busch continues to generally sit against lefties, he has at least batted .304 (7-for-23) against them when given the opportunity.
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Cubs' Michael Busch: Connects for home run
Rotowire
Busch went 2-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and two total RBI in Tuesday's 6-3, 10-inning win over the Brewers.
Busch connected for his eighth home run of the season in the third inning, but it was only his second of the month as he's slowed down some after a hot start. Across 23 games in May, the first baseman is batting just .206 after hitting .266 from Opening Day through the end of April. Busch should hold onto a regular role, though the Cubs have some other lineup options if they decide to mix things up.
