Why Cubs are not giving up on Dansby Swanson despite his miserable season

The Chicago Cubs have endured a challenging season. One player who has especially struggled is shortstop Dansby Swanson. While Swanson is still more than capable of making a significant impact from an offensive standpoint, the 32-year-old is currently hitting just .176/.280/.308 across 69 games played so far. So, why are the Cubs continuing to play him at shortstop on a consistent basis?

“Jed Hoyer was asked if the team is considering a change at shortstop as Dansby Swanson is hitting .176. Hoyer stated that the ‘backbone’ of the team is run prevention: ‘To answer the question directly, we can’t run away from our run prevention when we struggle offensively,'” Jesse Rogers of ESPN reported on Tuesday before the ball club’s game against the Colorado Rockies.

Swanson is a two-time All-Star and former World Series champion. He has a proven track record and the Cubs’ hesitancy to give up on him after a few months this season is understandable. Additionally, Swanson is still a crucial defender at shortstop as mentioned.

However, Chicago’s lineup has endured underperformance at times this year. The Cubs need Swanson to figure things out. It is tough to consistently win baseball games when your starting shortstop is hitting well under .200.

In an ideal scenario, Swanson will end up getting back on track. If he continues to struggle at an alarming rate as the stretch run approaches later in the season, however, the Cubs may end up having an extremely difficult decision to make. It will be a situation to closely monitor.

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