Editor’s note: The Cubs enter the winter hoping to build a team that can make the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since doing so four years in a row from 2015 to 2018. We look at each position on the Cubs’ roster as they aim to get back to October baseball in 2026.

Next up: Right Field.

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Depth ChartAnalysis

There are not too many question marks across the diamond for the Cubs’ position group. Right field might be the lone exception.

Kyle Tucker’s free agency leaves a hole for the team, but one that they might have comfort in filling internally. The vibe is that Tucker will not return to the North Side, and Suzuki would slot back into right field, like he did in September and the playoffs when Tucker nursed a calf injury.

[MORE: Kyle Tucker rejects Cubs’ one-year $22.025 million Qualifying Offer]

Of course, Suzuki carries his own question marks in the field. Suzuki was in the bottom-20 percentile in Outs Above Average in two of his first three seasons in MLB and the one season he wasn’t, 2023, he was just above league at 1 OAA. For a team predicated on pitching and defense, Suzuki’s play in right can’t be completely overlooked.

His bat, of course, can help gloss over some of those questions. Suzuki had career-highs in home runs (32), RBI (103), games played (151) and plate appearances (651). His slash line took a hit, though, he had career lows in average (.245) and on-base percentage (.326), and his OPS (.804) was 44 points lower than in 2024. Still, that kind of production can be the type you want near the top or middle of a lineup.

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Alcántara enters 2026 without minor league options, meaning he must be on the 26-man roster or be exposed to waivers. That would put him on the Opening Day roster and as the backup outfielder for the Cubs.

What’s Next?

Just like almost every other player on the Cubs roster, there’s question marks about what comes after Suzuki.

He’s entering the final season of a five-year contract he signed with the Cubs after coming Stateside from the Hiroshima Toyo Carp in Japan’s top league.

The future of the position could play a large role in 2026, too. Alcántara is in the mix, for sure, but Caissie’s left-handed bat is intriguing to the Cubs, and he likely would have had an expanded role in September after Tucker’s injury if not for the concussion that ended his season. He clubbed 22 home runs with a .937 OPS in 99 games with the Iowa Cubs last season.

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Bateman, 23, is a defense-first prospect who was taken in the eighth round of the 2023 draft by the Cubs. He was in big-league camp last spring training with the Cubs in 2025 and posted a .683 OPS at Double-A Knoxville.

Bottom Line

Suzuki will enter 2026 as the everyday right fielder, but the future of the position might see extended time in the big leagues in some combination of Alcántara and Caissie.

State of the Cubs series menu

Catcher
First base
Second base
Third base
Shortstop
Left field
Center field

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