Ian Happ last played on May 9th due to an oblique injury. He was placed on the 10-day injured list and, on Monday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell told reporters that Happ is expected to return this week.
The Cubs travel to Miami on Monday for a three-game set against the Marlins. On Friday, they start a three-game series with the Reds in Cincinnati.
Happ has batted leadoff in all 39 games he’s played this season. He’s racked up three home runs, 29 runs, 19 RBI and two stolen bases. The slash is .269/.364/.381 with a 12.8% walk rate and 18.7% strikeout rate. The ISO is way down at .113, though, and the BABIP is elevated at .323.
Counsell has said that Happ will return to the leadoff spot when he returns, which would send Pete Crow-Armstrong back down. In the eight games Happ was out, PCA was the leadoff hitter in seven of those contests and slashed .394/.400/.818 with a .424 ISO! He had 13 hits, a double, two triples, three home runs and two stolen bases. The BABIP was .526 and the strikeout rate was 34.3%. PCA was batting sixth or seventh in the lineup with a healthy Happ, so it wil lbe interesting to see where Counsell slots him in with Happ back leading off.
