Crow-Armstrong hits 41st homer, swipes two bags

Crow-Armstrong was a one-man wrecking crew in the win over the Braves Monday. He had four of the Cubs’ 10 hits, including two of the teams’ four extra-base hits, and knocked in four of the Cubs’ seven runs. Crow-Armstrong’s home run was his 42nd and his steal was his 37th. With a 40/40 season in his sights, expect him to continue to be aggressive on the bases.

Crow-Armstrong’s home run was his 40th of the season. He hit a solo shot off Tyler Phillips in the fifth inning. Crow-Armstrong also had a sacrifice fly in the third inning. He’s hitting .280 with a .946 OPS and 96 RBI, which along with his defensive excellence and Shohei Ohtani’s injuries have Crow-Armstrong as the favorite for the National League MVP as we head down the stretch.

The 24-year-old budding superstar tagged Brewers’ right-hander Logan Henderson for a 413-foot (104.3-mph EV) two-run shot in the third inning that gave the Cubs an early 2-0 advantage that they would never relinquish. That would be his only hit in four at-bats on the night. He has been absolutely sizzling at the plate over the past few weeks and has surged past Shohei Ohtani as the favorite to take home National League MVP honors — slashing .280/.375/.571 with 39 homers, 93 RBI and 32 stolen bases in what has been a spectacular all-around campaign.

Crow-Armstrong’s first homer shouldn’t have happened; Chase Burns’ 2-2 pitch caught the corner, but the ump called it a ball and the Reds declined to challenge it. PCA took the next one 417 feet to right for his 37th homer of the year. No. 38, on an Emilio Pagán fastball right down main street, came with two outs and the Cubs down by three, so it didn’t lead to much. However, Crow-Armstrong is now all alone in second place for the MLB lead in homers, two behind Kyle Schwarber.

It’s the first three-homer game in the superstar outfielder’s young career. He started the home half of the first inning with a bang, crushing an 0-1 fastball from Andrew Abbott for a 435-foot (105.8-mph EV) solo shot. He victimized Abbott again in the second inning, that time for a 375-foot (103.4-mph) two-run blast to right. He then singled and scored in the fourth inning before tagging Tony Santillan for a monstrous 444-foot (105.3-mph EV) three-run bomb in the seventh inning. He’s not a lock to take home NL MVP honors over Shohei Ohtani, but his chances of doing so continue to improve with each passing day. The dynamic 24-year-old is slashing a robust .282/.377/.567 with 36 homers, 89 RBI, 97 runs scored and 32 stolen bases while playing exceptional defense in center field.

The homer gives Crow-Armstrong 33 on the season, and nine of those have come in his torrid August. The 24-year-old MVP candidate also singled and walked while scoring a second run. A remarkable season for Crow-Armstrong that has shown that 2025 wasn’t a fluke, but in fact a mere appetizer of what he’s capable of doing.

A day after hitting a leadoff and walk-off home run against the White Sox, he started Tuesday’s contest with another leadoff blast off Bryan Hudson for his 31st homer of the season. With a runner on and one out and the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, the White Sox weren’t going to give him a chance to do it again as they issued an intentional walk. The 24-year-old outfielder is having an incredible campaign, slashing .282/.381/.555 with the 31 homers, 90 runs scored, 79 RBI, and 31 steals across 566 plate appearances.

Crow-Armstrong took Luis Castillo deep to start the bottom of the first and later hit Hagen Smith’s fourth pitch of the night out to right to end the game in the 10th. The homers were PCA’s 29th and 30th, giving him a second straight 30/30 campaign. He also collected his 31st steal for good measure. He’s the 19th player to record multiple 30/30 seasons, and according to MLB.com’s Sarah Langs, he’s the seventh player with leadoff and walkoff homers in the same game. The last was Chris Young in 2010.

Crow-Armstrong got the Cubs on the board with a two-run homer off Hunter Dobbins. It comes in a losing effort, but it ups the MVP candidates’ home run total to 28, and he’s driven in 75 runs as well.

Crow-Armstrong’s homer came in the third inning off an ineffective Jake Irvin, and got the Cubs to within a run at 3-2. The MVP candidate has gone deep 27 times in 2026 while driving in 72 runs. After showing the ability to be a star in 2025, the man they call PCA has put it all together to become one of the best fantasy options in the sport.