Editor\u2019s 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\u2019 roster as they aim to get back to October baseball in 2026.<\/p>\n
Next up: Designated Hitter.<\/p>\n
Depth ChartMois\u00e9s Ballesteros<\/a>Seiya Suzuki<\/a>Carson Kelly<\/a>Owen Caissie<\/a>Kevin Alc\u00e1ntara<\/a>Analysis<\/p>\n Last season, the Cubs used Suzuki as their primary DH after acquiring Kyle Tucker in a blockbuster offseason deal. Traditionally, teams like to use that role as a rotating spot, giving players partial days off from the grind of the MLB season or using bench bats to optimize matchups.<\/p>\n In 2026, though, the Cubs could have another regular face in that spot in the form of Ballesteros, a top-100 prospect. The 22-year-old rose through the minor leagues as a catcher, but there are questions about his defense behind the plate. With two backstops already in the fold in Kelly and Miguel Amaya, Ballesteros\u2019 need as a catcher isn\u2019t pressing. His bat, though, might be needed in the majors.<\/p>\n When Tucker went down with a calf injury in September, that moved Suzuki to right field, created an opening at the DH role and might have foreshadowed what the Cubs\u2019 lineup in 2026 will look like. In a very small sample size, the crystal ball wasn\u2019t too bad. Ballesteros posted a .999 OPS in September and showed why his offensive prowess has been lauded.<\/p>\n Asking a young player to DH is tough, but Ballesteros made 18 of his 20 appearances in that spot, appearing behind the plate for six innings in the last game of the regular season before moving to first base for the final three innings, his second time at that position. That makes him the clubhouse leader to man the DH role in 2026.<\/p>\n Of course, against tough left-handed pitching or when Craig Counsell wants to give other players partial days off, Ballesteros can move off the position and that spot can be more of the musical chair type seat it usually is. The Cubs might feel their best defensive lineup at times is Alc\u00e1ntara in right field and relegate Suzuki to the DH role, too, especially against southpaws. Counsell also hasn\u2019t been afraid to use a catcher in the DH role \u2013 Kelly started three times there in 2025.<\/p>\n What\u2019s next?<\/p>\n The Cubs still believe Ballesteros can be serviceable behind the plate, but in 2026, they don\u2019t need him to be that. But calling Ballesteros a DH for now and the future is unfair and unrealistic for how modern rosters are constructed.<\/p>\n There are so few full-time DHs (only five players made over 130 starts at DH) and all of them \u2013 Kyle Schwarber, Shohei Ohtani, Marcell Ozuna, Brent Rooker and Rafael Devers \u2013 are proven boppers on big contracts. The Toronto Blue Jays, who scored the fourth-most runs in baseball and reached the World Series, had 11 players start at DH.<\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to say that a team has a \u201cDH for the future\u201d, but for now the Cubs have an option at the position.<\/p>\n Bottom Line<\/p>\n Ballesteros might grow into a dual threat backstop and thus make the DH role a rotating spot like most teams desire. But for 2026, Ballesteros seems to be in pole position for the role while his defensive game develops.<\/p>\n Catcher<\/a>
First base<\/a>
Second base<\/a>
Third base<\/a>
Shortstop<\/a>
Left field<\/a>
Center field<\/a>
Right Field<\/a><\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Editor\u2019s note: The Cubs enter the winter hoping to build a team that can make the playoffs in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":447174,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2399],"tags":[5,34,138,24,4245,576,161,9675,29,728,4,1896,9677,105,738],"class_list":{"0":"post-447173","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-chicago-cubs","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-carson-kelly","10":"tag-chicago","11":"tag-chicago-cubs","12":"tag-chicagocubs","13":"tag-craig-counsell","14":"tag-cubs","15":"tag-kevin-alcantara","16":"tag-kyle-tucker","17":"tag-miguel-amaya","18":"tag-mlb","19":"tag-moises-ballesteros","20":"tag-owen-caissie","21":"tag-seiya-suzuki","22":"tag-wrigley-field"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/115605256801875441","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447173","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=447173"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/447173\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/447174"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=447173"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=447173"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=447173"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}