Cubs' Ian Happ: Sitting out first game of twin bill
Rotowire
Happ is not in the lineup for the first game of Monday's doubleheader against the Brewers.
Happ will likely be back in the lineup for the nightcap, but he will begin Monday's afternoon tilt on the bench. Owen Caissie will start in left field and bat sixth in the first game Monday.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Reaches three times in win
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Happ went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, an RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Pirates.
Despite getting a new outfield mate recently in rookie Owen Caissie, Happ has held onto an everyday role, and he delivered his first multi-hit performance since Aug. 8 in Sunday's victory. The veteran outfielder is having a down year by his standards with a .228 batting average and .714 OPS, but it appears his playing time is going to hold steady, and his track record suggests he should still be able to provide fantasy value down the stretch.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Gets new outfield mate
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With top prospect Owen Caissie expected to make his MLB debut Thursday, per Kiley McDaniel of ESPN.com, Happ and other Chicago outfielders may be more crunched for regular playing time.
Chicago already has a fairly crowded outfield with Happ, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Kyle Tucker playing most days left to right, and regular DH Seiya Suzuki also capable of filling a corner spot. The addition of Caissie is likely an attempt to jumpstart a Cubs' offense that has been struggling lately, and the top prospect figures to take playing time away from any of the current outfielders who are slumping or could use a break. Happ has the lowest season-long OPS of the aforementioned quartet, and he's slashing just .222/.310/.361 this month. It remains to be seen how Chicago divvies up playing time moving forward, but it makes sense to think that the 31-year-old Happ could see more rest days during the stretch run.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Goes deep in win
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Happ went 1-for-3 with a walk and a solo home run in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Reds.
Happ extended his hitting streak to five games as he launched his 16th home run of the season in the eighth inning. The veteran outfielder has been batting lower in the order recently and has seen some steady improvement at the plate following a slow start to the season. Happ is now batting .258 over his last 10 games and .230 overall.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Good to go Friday
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Happ (shin) is starting in left field and batting seventh Friday against the Orioles.
The outfielder was held out of the lineup Wednesday against the Brewers due to a bruised left shin, though he still appeared as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-2 with a solo homer. Happ has a .231/.318/.513 slash line with three homers and a stolen base in 12 games since the All-Star break.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Homers off bench Wednesday
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Happ (shin) appeared as a pinch hitter and went 1-for-2 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 10-3 win over the Brewers.
Happ suffered a bruised left shin during Tuesday's loss to Milwaukee, and while he didn't start Wednesday's game, the veteran was clearly healthy enough to play, as he launched his 15th home run of the season. The Cubs have an off day Thursday, which gives Happ another day to rest, and he should be in the starting lineup for Friday's contest against the Orioles.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Set to avoid IL stint
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Happ (shin) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's game in Milwaukee, but the Cubs don't anticipate him requiring a stint on the 10-day injured list, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
Happ was lifted from Tuesday's loss after fouling a ball off his left shin. While he'll take a seat for the series finale in Milwaukee, Happ could be ready to play Friday against the Orioles after Thursday's team off day. Seiya Suzuki will start in left field Wednesday and Moises Ballesteros will get a start at designated hitter.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Trending toward IL stint
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Happ may need to spend time on the injured list after suffering a bruised left shin during Tuesday's loss to Milwaukee, Jesse Rogers of ESPN.com reports.
X-rays on Happ's shin came back negative after the game, but with Moises Ballesteros reportedly set to be recalled from Triple-A on Wednesday, the writing is on the wall for Happ's move to the injured list. If the 30-year-old outfielder ends up on the shelf, the Cubs may look to move Seiya Suzuki into the field while using Ballesteros or Justin Turner as their designated hitter.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: X-rays negative
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X-rays on Happ's left shin came back negative following his removal from Tuesday's game against the Brewers, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
Happ noted after the game that he felt lightheaded after fouling a ball off his leg, which was a big factor in the decision to take him out. Although he's been cleared of structural damage, there's a good chance the Cubs will sit him down for Wednesday's series finale, which will give him two consecutive recovery days heading into Chicago's weekend series against Baltimore.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Exits early Tuesday
Rotowire
Happ was removed from Tuesday's game against Milwaukee after fouling a ball off his left foot, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Happ wasn't able to finish his at-bat after sending a ball to his foot in the eighth inning. He'll presumably head in for imaging to determine whether he suffered any structural damage, and the Cubs should provide more information on his status in the near future. Vidal Brujan entered as a pinch hitter for Happ and could be in line for starts in left field if the latter has to miss any amount of time.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Belts solo homer
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Happ went 2-for-3 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored during the Cubs' 6-1 win over the White Sox on Saturday.
Happ put the Cubs on the board in the seventh inning with a solo home run off Jordan Leasure and crossed home plate for a second time after Matt Shaw drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth. Although Happ has struggled at the plate this summer with a .592 OPS in July, he has reached base safely in nine of his last 10 games, going 9-for-34 (.265) with five walks, six runs, two home runs and four RBI over that span.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Hits 13th home run Saturday
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Happ went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Saturday's 6-0 win over the Red Sox.
Happ hit his 13th home run of the season and first since June 25 in the eighth inning against Boston reliever Chris Murphy. While the veteran outfielder had been mired in a slump since the beginning of June, he is now riding a modest four-game hitting streak, which includes hits in Chicago's first two contests coming out of the All-Star break. Happ's track record suggests he's capable of a second-half surge.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Tallies two hits, RBI in win
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Happ went 2-for-4 with an RBI in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Yankees.
Happ had been struggling before Saturday, as this was his first multi-hit effort since June 25. In 13 games since then, the outfielder had gone 4-for-51 with 15 strikeouts before recording two singles in the Bronx. Happ was also bumped down to seventh in the order Saturday, which was his first time batting anywhere except leadoff for the Cubs all season. Overall, the 30-year-old is now hitting .227 with a .699 OPS across 85 games in what's been a down year so far.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Power surge continues in rout
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Happ went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI and a walk in Wednesday's 8-0 win over the Cardinals.
The 30-year-old left fielder continued his June power surge, launching his ninth long ball of the month. Happ may be hitting a modest .240 over his last 19 games, but he has the aforementioned nine homers, two doubles, 20 RBI, 11 walks and one stolen base across 75 at-bats. With the big bats of Kyle Tucker, Seiya Suzuki and Pete Crow-Armstrong working behind him, Happ should continue to see his fair share of pitches to hit from the leadoff spot.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Clubs pair of homers
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Happ went 2-for-4 with two homers, one walk and four RBI in Saturday's 10-7 win over the Mariners.
Happ got things going early Saturday with a leadoff homer, then followed it up with a three-run blast in the second inning. While his season power numbers are respectable -- a .423 SLG and 25 extra-base hits -- the left fielder has ramped things up in June, slugging .600 with 10 extra-base hits, including four homers in the last three games.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Goes deep twice in win
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Happ went 2-for-3 with two walks, two home runs, three RBI and three total runs scored in Tuesday's 8-4 win over the Phillies.
Happ led the way in a big Chicago victory with his first multi-homer game of the season. The veteran outfielder is experiencing a bit of a power surge with four long balls in his last six games, giving him seven for the year. Happ seems to be heating up, as he's boosted his OPS from .709 to .742 this month, and he figures to keep posting strong stats in a formidable Chicago lineup.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Hits fifth home run Monday
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Happ went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Monday's 4-3, extra-innings loss to the Phillies.
Happ hit a game-tying home run in the eighth inning, his fifth of the year and second in his last five games, but the Cubs would fall 4-3 in 11 innings. The veteran outfielder now has a .706 OPS for the season, and judging by his .789 career mark, he could be poised for a strong finish to 2025. Across his eight previous MLB campaigns, Happ's post-All Star break OPS is 21 points higher than his pre-break OPS.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Powers offense Thursday
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Happ went 3-for-6 with a double, a home run and four RBI in Thursday's 7-1 win over the Nationals.
Happ was an excellent table setter Thursday as he extended his modest hitting streak to three games. The leadoff hitter also popped his fourth home run of the season in the sixth inning with a runner on. Happ is starting to heat up with a .294 batting average over his last eight games, and he figures to keep producing useful stats from the top of Chicago's potent lineup.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Doubles twice in win
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Happ went 2-for-4 with two doubles and a run scored in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Reds.
The veteran outfielder opened the scoring in the bottom of the eighth inning when he crossed the plate on a Seiya Suzuki double. Happ came into the contest batting only .184 over nine games since returning from the injured list on May 20, but his strong track record suggests he'll get things going soon, and he should stick as Chicago's primary leadoff option due to his ability to consistently get on base with hits or walks.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Doubles in multi-hit game
Rotowire
Happ went 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-innings win over Colorado.
It was Happ's first multi-hit game and extra-base hit since coming off the injured list, which is an encouraging sign given his slump since returning from an oblique strain. Over his last seven outings, the veteran outfielder is hitting just .194 (6-for-31) with two RBI, six runs scored, three walks and one stolen base. Fantasy managers should remain patient with Happ, who is still looking to get his timing back at the plate.
