3 Cubs Hitters Who Need to Step It Up at the Plate

As the Chicago Cubs dropped their first three-game set to San Diego on Wednesday, a handful of hitters are contributing to a sudden run-scoring drought. Despite having the hottest offense in baseball before flying into San Diego, the Cubs' bats were stalled in the three-game set, and clutch hits were few and far between. The team managed to score just six runs in the series, while leaving 27 men on base, and going 3-for-29 with runners in scoring position.

These three hitters not only contributed to the lack of production, but have also been struggling to collect hits well before Chicago stepped foot in Southern California. 1. Justin Turner Despite being in the lineup for the first two games against the Padres, Justin Turner failed to record a hit while batting third in the lineup.



Although the 40-year-old managed to draw a pair of walks on Tuesday, Turner failed to come up with a clutch hit on multiple occasions. It's concerning because the Cubs partially acquired him because his bat still played above average last season (117 wRC+). But the veteran infielder has yet to come close to that kind of production in 2025.

In 33 at-bats, Turner is slashing .152/.293/.

152 with four hits, four RBIs, and no home runs. Turner only found his way into the lineup on the West Coast road trip due to the wrist injury sustained by Seiya Suzuki. And with Suzuki back in the lineup on Wednesday, Turner likely won't get much regular playing time unless more injuries arise.

That being said, Turner is going to need to produce better with the bat because he is not on this team for his defensive skills, which are not up to par at third base. Not to mention, he has already cost the Cubs a game with a misplay at first base earlier this year. Rough way to lose a game.

.. still a series win but should’ve been a sweep.

.. pic.

twitter.com/FRHiBTHLWB 2. Dansby Swanson It's going to be hard for Manager Craig Counsell to justify batting Dansby Swanson fifth in the lineup if he keeps this kind of production (or lack thereof) up.

In 87 plate appearances this year, the Cubs' shortstop owns a wRC+ of 70, a .177 batting average, and is getting on base at a .233 clip.

What's jarring is that Swanson seems to be routinely chasing balls out of the strike zone, particularly high fastballs. Swanson's walk rate is also down a bit (6.9%), which isn't helping his on-base percentage.

As an everyday participant, Swanson needs to be closer to league average to avoid being an easy out in the lineup. 3. Jon Berti With third baseman Matt Shaw getting sent back down to Iowa earlier this week, Jon Berti is set to step into a platoon situation at the hot corner with Gage Workman .

Although Workman has also seen struggles at the plate, it's expected for a guy who hasn't played above the Double-A level of the Minors before 2025. But Berti is a 35-year-old veteran with seven MLB seasons under his belt, and he is set to get much more playing time with Shaw in the minors. Berti hasn't been awful in 2025, with a .

250 batting average and six stolen bases in nine games played. But the Cubs will need Berti to sustain something close to league-average numbers to strengthen the bottom of the lineup in place of Shaw, who was struggling mightily at the plate. This article first appeared on On Tap Sports Net and was syndicated with permission.

.