Who’s Hot, Who’s Not? Overreacting to the First Week of the Chicago Cubs 2026 Season

The Chicago Cubs have completed their first week of the 2026 season, and there’s no better time than now to overreact to a six-game sample size. The team opened up at Wrigley Field and ended the home stand with a 3-3 record, splitting the first two series of the year against the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Angels.

A few things have stood out, but let’s not take this too seriously. Again, we’re talking about six games at Wrigley Field, where the wind was howling out one day, and then blasting in the next. Yet, let’s have some fun with sample sizes.

Matthew Boyd Strikeout Machine?

Left-handed starter Matthew Boyd has had one rough inning through his first two outings in 2026. On Opening Day, Boyd exited after 3.2 innings, as he was charged with six earned runs. The Cubs lost 10-4, and obviously fans weren’t pleased by the pitching performance, but maybe overlooked is that Boyd had seven strikeouts in three innings before the wheels fell off.

Boyd not only responded with a great outing against the Angels, but he also struck out 10 batters in 5.2 innings. That was the most amount of strikeouts in a game for Boyd since July 28, 2019. So, through two starts, Boyd currently ranks second in MLB with a 45.9 K% with his 17 strikeouts in 9.1 innings.

Before we start thinking that Boyd will, of a sudden, be near the top of the league in strikeouts in 2026, you should know that the Angels currently rank second as a team in K% on offense, and they led MLB in strikeouts last year. Still, good to see Boyd have success early on after he faded in 2025.

Nico Hoerner Going for Batting Title

After going 0-for-4 at the plate on Opening Day, Nico Hoerner has collected a hit in five consecutive games, including a three-hit performance in Wednesday’s 6-2 win over the Angels. The newly extended second baseman finished second in batting average in 2025 in the National League, ending the season behind Trea Turner, who hit .304. Hoerner had the best season of his career on offense, and he might be taking another step forward in 2026.

In 2025, Hoerner had a two-month stretch from July 19 through Sept. 23 when he hit .332, recording 74 hits in 58 games. Now, after signing a six-year extension, Hoerner doesn’t have to worry about any outside noise when it comes to his future and can 100% focus on baseball. The 28-year-old is primed for another big year at the plate and should be in the mix to win the batting title in the National League.

Edward Cabrera Ace?

I mean, Edward Cabrera had the best start through the first turn of the rotation, and it’s difficult not to get excited about what the pitching staff could look like once everyone is healthy. The righty only gave up one hit in six innings against the Angels on Monday, when Cabrera struck out five batters, and allowed one other baserunner via a walk.

Just imagine, Cade Horton, Edward Cabrera, Justin Steele, Matthew Boyd, with Shōta Imanaga and Jameson Taillon in reserve down the stretch. If Cabrera can take his game to a higher level with the Cubs this year, then this rotation can be truly elite because Horton also looks like a guy ready to become a star on the mound in 2026.

Rookie Struggles

Moises Ballesteros has more pressure on him this season than you may think. Sure, he’s only 22-years-old, and a rookie, but he’s also the primary designated hitter on a contending team who has to cover some of the production lost from Kyle Tucker. Normally, you’ll be patient with a rookie, and by the end of the year most will take a decent season from a 22-year-old rookie at the plate.

Unfortunately for Ballesteros, as the DH, he has to hit and hit a lot to provide value on the team, and so far, the numbers are a bit troubling through six games. The left-handed hitter is 3-for-18, with six strikeouts and two walks. Half of the balls that he’s put in play have been on the ground, while his hard-hit rate is at 33.3 %.

The lone piece of positive data so far for Ballesteros is that he’s barreled up 3 of the 12 balls he’s put in play.

There are other guys on the team who can afford to struggle. Dansby Swanson has two hits in six games, but he plays elite defense at shortstop. He’s not getting benched. Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong are one and two in strikeouts right now, but they’re not getting removed from the lineup. Ballesteros can’t really continue to struggle because once Seiya Suzuki returns from the injured list, the rookie could lose DH time to Matt Shaw.

This Won’t Last, Right?

I’m not worried about Alex Bregman at the plate. He’s hitting the ball hard, he’s still making great swing choices, and he’s still getting on base. Yet, he’s had multiple balls get past him at third base this week that led to runs scoring, and while that could happen to anyone, you don’t expect it from a gold glove caliber defender like Bregman.

But hey, it does happen. Hopefully, it’s just a mirage because the Cubs not only signed Bregman because he’s a winning player, but he’s a winning player because he brings good defense. So, the bad defense shouldn’t last too long.

It has only been five at-bats, but they have been brutal for veteran Michael Conforto. I’m not sure how much longer he’ll last on the active roster because he has truly looked like a guy who cannot hit MLB pitching, and if he can’t hit, Conforto serves no other purpose on the team.

As a team, the Cubs have hit six total home runs through six games, and they’ve come from three players: Happ (3), Bregman (2), and Miguel Amaya (1). Only seven other teams have hit fewer in the first week of the season, but playing five games in Chicago during March certainly didn’t help the Cubs’ offense. So, the home runs will come, and should get a bigger bump once Suzuki comes back to the middle of the batting order.

Last year, the Cubs had three 30-HR hitters: Michael Busch (34), Seiya Suzuki (32), and Pete Crow-Armstrong (31).