All-Star shortstop Dansby Swanson’s absence has set off a chain reaction for the Cubs.
Nico Hoerner has shifted from second base to short and moved into Swanson’s usual No. 2 spot in the lineup from the leadoff spot.
That has created space for Mike Tauchman, who has the bulk of the leadoff at-bats with Swanson (left heel) on the injured list.
He was one of the few positives Sunday for the Cubs, who fell behind 11-0 and wound up losing 11-5 with catcher Tucker Barnhart handling mop-up mound duties.
Tauchman, though, reached base in all five of his plate appearances with three walks and two singles. He also scored two runs and drove in one.
“He’s a good player,” manager David Ross said. “As much as everyone wants to take him out of the leadoff spot, he’s done a pretty good job up there. Quality at-bats every day, he plays pretty good defense.”
Ross was impressed with Tauchman almost tracking down one of the Red Sox’ extra-base hits.
“I thought that was a double in the gap easy and he almost got to that,” Ross said. “He’s a really good solid baseball player.”
Swanson back soon
Ross expects Swanson to be back before too long.
“Running’s going to be the thing,” Ross said. “Each day he said he’s feeling better and he’s itching to get out there.
“But he’s got a pretty good barometer of where he’ll be with how we deal with this. So [we’re] just kind of waiting on him to give us the ‘OK, should be two, three, four days,’ whatever it is.”
Smoke gets in your eyes
The entire state of Illinois was under another air quality alert Sunday because of the Canadian wildfire smoke. While Wrigley Field smelled like a backyard BBQ, it was nowhere near the level of haze during a series against the Phillies last month.
“It didn’t affect us at all,” Ross said. “The last time it did, we canceled batting practice.”
He’s back
The Cubs acquired catcher/infielder P.J. Higgins from the Diamondbacks for cash considerations, the team announced.
All of Higgins’ MLB experience is with the Cubs the last two seasons. He slashed .043/.120/.043 in nine games in 2021 and also slashed .229/.310/.383 in 74 games last season. Higgins has spent all of this season at Triple-A Reno.
Draft update
The Cubs officially announced the signing of first-round pick Matt Shaw, a shortstop from Maryland, and six other players. They are Davidson catcher Michael Carico (fifth round), P27 Academy (S.C.) outfielder Alfonsin Rosario (sixth), Minnesota outfielder Brett Bateman (eighth), Long Beach State first baseman Jonathon Long (ninth), Temple (Texas) right-hander Luis Martinez-Gomez (10th) and Gonzaga third baseman Brian Kalmer (18th).
Baseball America’s Jim -Callis reported Shaw’s bonus at $484,500, full value for the No. 13 slot.
