Michael Conforto slugs three-run homer in loss

The Cubs have been wanting to get Suzuki a breather for a while now, so he’ll sit down against Royals’ right-hander Randy Dobnak on Sunday afternoon. Expect to see him off the bench if needed in late-game situation though. Michael Conforto will start in his place in right field and bat fifth for the Cubs on Sunday.

The two homers were part of eight the Cubs hit on the afternoon, which tied a franchise record. Conforto recorded some impressive Statcast metrics earlier in the year but wasn’t playing consistently as recently as a little over a week ago. With Matt Shaw injured and Moises Ballesteros at Triple-A, Conforto has started against five of the past six righties Chicago has faced. Wednesday’s outburst should keep him cemented in a strong-side platoon role.

The 31-year-old slugger played both halves of Wednesday’s doubleheader and recently battled some knee issues, so giving him a breather makes complete sense here. Michael Conforto will start in his place in right field and bat second for the Cubs against Mets’ right-hander Freddy Peralta on Thursday evening in New York.

Suzuki already missed the first two weeks of the season with a PCL sprain in the same knee. Matt Shaw replaced him tonight and would join Michael Conforto in line for additional playing time if Suzuki needs to go back on the IL.

It appears to be nothing more than a routine breather for the 31-year-old slugger. Suzuki has seen his production fall off following a brilliant 2025 campaign, slashing just .239/.324/.400 with eight homers and 20 RBI through his first 204 plate appearances on the season. Michael Conforto will take his place in right field and bat second for the Cubs against A’s right-hander J.T. Ginn.

Lefties are hitting .336/.416/.555 against Kyle Leahy, but the Cubs still couldn’t find any room for the switch-hitting Ramírez today. Michael Conforto is on the bench, too, as the Cubs are starting Moisés Ballesteros at DH rather than give up some defense by having him catch. Ramirez has started two of the Cubs’ nine games since being recalled last week, but that’s still better than Kevin Alcántara; he’s yet to get a start in eight games with the team.

The 22-year-old has been mired in a prolonged slump at the dish, so giving him a night off to clear his head isn’t the worst possible idea. Michael Conforto will serve as the team’s designated hitter in his place and will bat seventh against Cardinals’ right-hander Andre Pallante on Friday evening in St. Louis.

Happ takes a seat in favor of Michael Conforto against Astros starter Kai-Wei Teng. The 31-year-old hitting .107 (3-for-28) over his last seven games and slashing .188/.349/.377 with three homers and 34 strikeouts in 20 games since May 1. He’ll get a brief mental reset as the Cubs attempt to get him back on track.

Michael Conforto will draw another start as the team’s designated hitter and bat sixth. Ballesteros had a stretch through early May where he was starting regularly against righties, often hitting second. He’s been in the lineup for just two of the past six they’ve faced, however. The decreased playing time comes as he’s hitting .034/.065/.034 over his past 31 plate appearances. Conforto, meanwhile, has posted some of the best expected stats in MLB this season.

Conforto finished the afternoon 2-for-4 with the homer, three RBI, and a walk. In 27 games this year he’s hitting .345 with a 1.111 OPS, including some of the best expected stats in MLB. Despite the early success, he’s struggled to earn consistent playing time even against righties as Moisés Ballesteros has operated as the primary DH for most of the season so far. Conforto’s playing time should continue to tick up for as long as he hits this well, but it could take an injury for him to factor into more consistent at-bats, and that likely wouldn’t include time against lefties.