MESA, Ariz. — The Cubs signed veteran Tyler Austin to play outfield and first base, but he won’t be platooning with Michael Busch at first like Justin Turner did last year.
Busch, who hit 34 home runs with 90 RBIs in the regular season and added four homers in eight postseason games, will be the full-time first baseman.
“That’s the opportunity he’s earned,” manager Craig Counsell reiterated Monday.
Busch received only 87 at-bats against left-handers during the 2025 regular season, batting .207 with four home runs and a .642 OPS. After the Cubs handed the 40-year-old Turner a one-year, $6 million deal in spring training a year ago, Counsell gave him extended playing time against lefties despite a decided loss of power. Turner hit three home runs in 2025 and remains unsigned.
The right-handed-hitting Austin, 34, spent the last six years in Japan, where he hit .293 with a .945 OPS. He signed a low-risk, one-year, $1.25 million deal in December to help improve the bench. Counsell’s other options at first include Moisés Ballesteros, who had only 44 starts there in the minors. Counsell said he’s not considering Matt Shaw as a potential backup at first.
Here are four more takeaways from Cubs spring training Monday.
1. The Cubs continue to add veterans on low-risk deals.
Outfielder Michael Conforto, 32, signed a minor-league deal late Sunday and is expected to be in uniform Tuesday.
Once considered a rising star with the New York Mets, Conforto hit .199 with a .637 OPS last year with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He did hit a combined 88 home runs from 2017-19 and if healthy can provide some pop.
“At this point we’re bringing in candidates to strengthen the roster,” Counsell said. “Michael had a down year last year, but he’s been a good player in this league for quite a while. Sometimes when you sign guys, it’s like, ‘Where is the opportunity here?’ And then we show up in five days and there’s a big opportunity. That’s how you look at this.
“He’s a player who has had a lot of success in this league, and if he can recapture some of that, we’re going to have a useful player.”
Conforto, a left-handed hitter, will be in the mix for a reserve outfielder job, a pool that also includes nonroster invitees Chas McCormick and Dylan Carlson.
Counsell said the Cubs won’t stop looking.
“We’re going to always evaluate what you have,” he said. “Then I walk up the stairs (to President Jed Hoyer’s office) and talk about what we don’t have.”
2. Sunday’s embarrassing moment wasn’t the end of the world.
The Cubs ran themselves into a triple play in the first inning Sunday against the San Francisco Giants.
“In spring training we’re allowed to use that as a teaching moment,” Counsell said. “It’s always a teaching moment, but it doesn’t cost you anything in spring training.
“It’s proof that you do see something new at the baseball field every day. In this case it was something that wasn’t good for the Cubs. But (Tuesday) we had a prescheduled meeting, and it will be a part of (the meeting).”
Shaw and Alex Bregman were standing on third at the same time, and the lead runner is allowed the base. But after both players were tagged, Shaw also left the base and was tagged again for the third out.
The basic message from Counsell was if you’re confused about it, “just don’t leave the base.”
3. Colin Rea said re-signing with the Cubs was a no-brainer.
Cubs pitcher Colin Rea throws batting practice at spring training Feb. 17, 2026, at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Rea returned to the Cubs in the swingman role, signing a guaranteed one-year, $6.5 million deal in November with a $7.5 million club option for 2027.
“It’s a great spot to be,” he said, “great guys on the team and we’ve got a really good clubhouse. We showed what we can do last year. We can compete and we’re better this year — I think everyone would agree with that.
“And it’s close to home (in Iowa) for me and my family, and that’s always a plus.”
4. Ben Brown threw two scoreless innings Monday against the Kansas City Royals in Surprise, Ariz.
Ben Brown stands with other Cubs pitchers before warming up during the first full-squad workout at spring training Feb. 16, 2026, at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz. (Armando L. Sanchez/Chicago Tribune)
Counsell said he’s not looking at Brown as a starter, a reliever or a swingman but simply wants him to focus on pitching and learn from his outings.
“He got a lot of experiences at the major-league level last year, good and not so good,” Counsell said. “They hit you hard, and you have to learn from both sides of them. Ben’s done a good job of that.
“I’ll give Ben credit. The day the season ended, he had a plan.”