Cubs manager David Ross will bat third baseman Kris Bryant in the leadoff spot to start the 2020 season, MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports. As Bastian notes, the Cubs have used 17 different hitters in the leadoff spot since the start of the 2017 season, so the club is looking for some stability atop the lineup.
Ross said, “That’s my job, is to commit to things. He’s on board. I’m on board. It’s something I’ve been thinking about long and hard.”
Bryant has appeared in seven games, stepping to the plate 31 times, in the leadoff spot, all occurring in June 2018. He has come to the plate in the No. 2 spot 1,562 times and No. 3 1,158 times.
Last season, Bryant hit .282/.382/.521 with 31 home runs and 77 RBI in 634 PA. Along with playing his usual third base, Bryant logged over 100 innings in each of left and right field. The Cubs are now asking him to be versatile in another fashion.
