Pete

Crow-Armstrong

Crow-Armstrong drew a walk in the sixth inning and scored on a double, then took Wandy Peralta deep for a three-run blast to extend the Chicago lead in the seventh. It was just the second home run of the season for the 24-year-old outfielder. He’s slashing .241/.309/.339 with 18 runs scored, 10 RBI, and six steals across 124 plate appearances.

Matt Shaw is getting some run in center field for the Cubbies against LHP Cristopher Sánchez. Crow-Armstrong’s power has been missing for most of April, as he’s hitting .247/.300/.333 with just one homer and five stolen bases in the early season. Worse, the Cubs have hit him eighth or ninth in his last nine starts. Crow-Armstrong had a volatile profile coming into this year and so far he’s hitting the lower end of his outcomes.

Crow-Armstrong delivered a game-tying RBI double in the second inning before adding a run-scoring single in the eighth inning to close the scoring. The 24-year-old center fielder has started to heat up, batting .320 (8-for-25) with two RBI and one steal over his last seven games.

Crow-Armstrong finds himself in the eighth spot on manager Craig Counsell’s lineup card for the fifth consecutive contest. The 24-year-old fantasy standout has gotten off to an ice-cold start at the dish, hitting .227 (17-for-75) with one homer and four RBI in 19 games. He’s been a streaky hitter in the past and the Cubs have a series coming up against the Phillies, who have allowed the third-most runs this season behind only the Nationals and Astros.

Crow-Armstrong took Rays reliever Yoendrys Gómez deep in the seventh inning for his first round-tripper of the season. He also recorded a pair of singles, stole his fourth base of the year, and scored three times in the one-sided affair at Tropicana Field. The 24-year-old fantasy standout hasn’t exactly torn the cover off the ball in the early portion of the year, hitting .256 (11-for-43) with one homer, four RBI and four steals through 11 games.

Crow-Armstrong’s second half slump last year was quite a bit more about his average and lack of power, but the steals suffered, too, as much trouble as he had reaching base; he swiped six bags in his final 54 games after totaling 29 in his first 103. Ideally, he’ll contribute in all three areas this year, but the safest bet is that he’ll be a strong asset in terms of steals; he’s just too good on the basepaths not to push the envelope.

Passan adds that the long-term contract agreement, which ostensibly buys out Crow-Armstrong’s four remaining arbitration-eligible seasons and two additional free agent years, could be worth up to $133 million through performance-based escalators. The 23-year-old center fielder blossomed into a legitimate fantasy star last season, cobbling together a magnificent 31-homer, 35-steal breakthrough campaign. He’ll be at the epicenter of Chicago’s long-term roster build and projects as a perennial early-round selection in fantasy drafts as he approaches his physical prime.

No word yet on the financial terms. Crow-Armstrong made the leap into full-fledged superstardom last season, delivering a 31-homer, 35-steal breakout campaign and emerging as one of the most impactful all-around contributors in the fantasy landscape. The 23-year-old center fielder is firmly entrenched as one of the core building blocks for the Cubs moving forward and projects as a perennial early-round selection in all fantasy formats as he enters his physical prime.

Team USA manager Mark DeRosa will turn to Bregman at the hot corner over Gunnar Henderson, who crushed a game-tying solo homer during Sunday’s semifinal win over the Dominican Republic, to face Venezuela lefty Eduardo Rodriguez. The other notable changes here for matchup reasons are Byron Buxton in centerfield over Pete Crow-Armstrong and Will Smith getting another turn at catcher over Cal Raleigh. Here’s the full lineup: Bobby Witt Jr. (SS), Bryce Harper (1B), Aaron Judge (RF), Kyle Schwarber (DH), Bregman (3B), Roman Anthony (LF), Smith (C), Brice Turang (2B) and Buxton (CF).

Henderson gets the nod over Alex Bregman at third base to face Dominican Republic starter Luis Severino, whom he’s had plenty of success against dating back to Severino’s time with the Yankees. The other notable change for Team USA manager Mark DeRosa involves giving Will Smith the start at catcher over Cal Raleigh. Here’s the full lineup: Bobby Witt Jr. (SS), Bryce Harper (1B), Aaron Judge (RF), Kyle Schwarber (DH), Henderson (3B), Smith (C), Roman Anthony (LF), Brice Turang (2B) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (CF).