A lot of chatter around the Chicago Cubs during the first few months of the 2025 season surrounded the excellent starts that outfielders Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker were producing.
Both of these guys (neither of whom was on the Cubs’ Opening Day roster one season prior) were playing at an MVP-caliber level for the first two or so months of the year, and made Chicago one of the most formidable offenses of the National League.
Unfortunately, neither guy was able to keep this torrid pace up as the season progressed, albeit for different reasons.
Kyle Tucker & Pete Crow-Armstrong | Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images
The sentiment is that PCA’s second-half struggles (which were conveyed by his mediocre .634 OPS after the All-Star break) are owed to him not having played a full MLB season before, and his body not being acclimated to the wear-and-tear that 162 regular season games provide.
Tucker’s body fell victim to this wear-and-tear, as he only played in 41 games after the All-Star Break because of a calf strain, and only had a .738 OPS when he was on the field. While Tucker being sidelined with this injury was not ideal for Chicago’s playoff positioning, the bottom line is that they can’t claim to be injury-plagued last season.
Cubs’ Healthy 2025 Could Point to Problems in 2026
Chicago Cubs outfielder Kyle Tucker | Jonathan Hui-Imagn Images
In a December 2 article, The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney pointed to the fact that, aside from Tucker’s injury in September, the Cubs were actually relatively healthy as a team (but especially among the team’s position players) headed into the postseason. In fact, six position players were healthy enough to play at least 150 games in 2025, which is almost unheard of in the modern game.
While Cade Horton was sidelined in the playoffs, the pitching staff remained healthier than can usually be expected during the season, as well. Southpaw pitcher Justin Steele missed the entire season because of arm surgery, and top prospect Owen Caissie suffered a concussion in September. But aside from these injuries, the Cubs remained remarkably healthy.
But the team would be foolish to expect this lucky, healthy streak to continue in 2026, if only because of the law of averages. And Mooney asserted that the Cubs’ next offseason goal is to improve their bench so that manager Craig Counsell can have more depth and flexibility if (and when) the Cubs get hit with injuries in 2026.
If Kyle Tucker is out of the picture, the Cubs sound ready to give Moisés Ballesteros and Owen Caissie the runway to develop at Wrigley Field.https://t.co/KDFOk9uws8
— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) December 2, 2025
Perhaps Chicago’s health streak can continue into next season. But the front office would be wise to prepare for the worst in this regard.
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