Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch continued his hot month at the plate during Thursday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Busch got the fun started off early with a solo home run off right-hander Andre Pallante in the second inning. The left-handed slugger has been outstanding with a .311/.386/.608 slash line with six home runs in the month of June. He finished this game 2-for-4 with a homer, one RBI, and two runs scored in the 3-0 victory. Fantasy managers looking for a boost on offense should consider adding Busch while he's hot.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch is out of the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals. Busch only has four hits against left-handed pitching this season, so unsurprisingly he'll head to the bench. He's coming off a solid series against the Seattle Mariners where he recorded five hits, one home run, and five RBI over the three-game series. In his absence, Justin Turner will take over at first base and bat eighth versus left-hander Matthew Liberatore.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch swatted one of the team's five home runs in a 6-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Saturday. Busch's 10th homer, a two-run, 414-foot shot off right-hander Keider Montero, gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning. He finished the day 1-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout, extending his hitting streak to eight games. The lefty-swinging Busch is not a fantasy-relevant option versus southpaws, but he's a terror against righties. He's now slashing an excellent .276/.377/.521 line with 38 RBI across 223 plate appearances. He'll take on another righty, Jack Flaherty, on Sunday.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch will sit out of Friday's lineup against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park with tough left-hander Tarik Skubal on the mound. Veteran Justin Turner will make the start at first base and will hit eighth in the batting order. Busch is currently in the midst of a seven-game hitting streak in which he's gone 10-for-23 with two home runs, so he'll be hoping to continue that streak when he returns to action on Saturday. The 27-year-old left-handed hitter is a big reason why the Cubs have had one of the best offenses in baseball this year, slashing .275/.374/.508 with an .882 OPS, nine home runs, 36 RBI, 27 runs scored and three steals in 189 at-bats. Turner has slowed near the end of his career and is no longer an everyday bat, making him one to avoid near the bottom of the lineup against one of the best pitchers in MLB.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch went 3-for-4 with a home run, a triple, a walk, three RBI, and two runs scored in Tuesday's 8-3 win over the Nationals. This was his second-straight multi-hit game that included a homer, and he's now slashing .276/.376/.519 with nine home runs, 36 RBI, and 27 runs on the season. The 27-year-old was a popular breakout pick heading into 2024, but those calls may have come one year too early. The slugger is on pace to blow past the 21 homers he hit last season, despite taking a seat against many left-handed pitchers. The platoon situation can make him tough to use in weekly leagues, but Busch is a solid corner infield option regardless.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch had a superb Sunday at the plate in helping lead the club to a 7-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Busch swatted his eighth home run of the season as part of a 2-for-2 showing with three RBI and two walks. After that spotless performance, Busch owns an impressive .266/.366/.486 line with 33 RBI in 205 plate appearances. The lefty-swinging Busch is seldom in the lineup when the opposing team starts a southpaw, but he's a productive option for fantasy managers when the Cubs face a right-hander. They're slated to take on Nationals righty Trevor Williams on Tuesday.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch will take a seat on Sunday, facing Cincinnati Reds left-handed pitcher Nick Lodolo. Through the opening two months of the season, Busch has made just two starts against left-handed pitching. As a result, the veteran Justin Turner will cover first base and is slated to bat in the seven-hole. Over his last 13 contests, Busch has posted a solid .256/.360/.419 slash line with four doubles, one home run, and five RBI. During this stretch, Busch swiped one bag and held a 12:5 K:BB. Through 49 contests this season, the 27-year-old has held a .252/.351/.460 line with seven long balls and three stolen bases. Fantasy managers should expect Busch to remain out of the starting nine on Monday as the Cubs are slated to face Colorado left-hander Carson Palmquist.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch is not in Wednesday's lineup when they play the final game of a three-game set against the San Francisco Giants. With left-handed pitcher Robbie Ray taking the bump for the Giants, Busch will take a seat. Through the opening month, Busch has only made two starts against left-handed pitching. Instead, the Cubs will give veteran Justin Turner the nod at first base, and he will bat in the five-hole. Through the first 35 contests of the campaign, Busch has been productive, holding a .252/.350/.479 slash line with seven doubles, six long balls, and 22 RBI. Busch has generated a strong .356 xwOBA and a .478 xSLG, which suggests he should continue to be a viable fantasy asset. However, fantasy managers should continue to expect him to remain in a platoon role at first base, albeit on the strong side.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Saturday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers. The left-handed slugger will get the night off after blasting a grand slam during Friday's blowout victory. Busch is stuck in a platoon, but that hasn't stopped him from being a reliable fantasy contributor. On Saturday, Justin Turner will cover first base and bat fifth against left-hander Jose Quintana. Turner hasn't been great with the bat this season and Quintana carries a 1.14 ERA into this game. That being said, fantasy managers should look elsewhere for a streaming option on Saturday.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch is absent from the lineup for Saturday's matchup with the Phillies as Philadelphia sends lefty Jesus Luzardo to the mound. Busch is off to a good start at the plate, slashing .295/.386/.568 with a .414 wOBA and 167 wRC+ over 101 plate appearances, but will give way to Justin Turner on Saturday. The veteran, on theother hand, has been atrocious at the plate, hitting .154 without a singleextra base hit on the year so far, and even worse lately, going 1-for-18 (.056) over his last seven games. Although Turner is batting fourth, the Cubs have a low impliedrun total in this one, and Turner is 1-for-10 in his career off of Luzardo, so DFS users will likely want to look elsewhere for options at first base.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch has been hitting everything thrown at him during this series with the Arizona Diamondbacks. On Saturday, Busch smacked a home run off right-hander Zac Gallen in the second inning. He would later add on an RBI single as Busch finished his day 2-for-4 in the victory over the D-Backs. Busch has five hits, one homer, and three RBI across the first two games of this series versus Arizona. Busch is hitting .316/.381/.618 with four homers and 12 RBI early in the season. The downside is Busch is likely to sit out against most left-handed pitching. The Cubs have faced nine straight right-handed starters, so Busch has played a ton. Despite the platoon, Busch has done enough to warrant being rostered in most fantasy formats.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run off Dylan Cease on Monday night, but his Cubs lost 10-4 to the Padres. Busch's home run continues a strong start to the season for the 27-year-old lefty, who is now up to a .310 batting average and .436 wOBA through his first 18 games with four homers, 12 runs scored, and 12 RBI. Busch's strong start and spot in the heart of the Cubs' productive batting order make him a solid option from the waiver wire in mixed leagues if available. He is still platooning a little bit and sitting against lefties, but when he is in the lineup, he has proven he can produce good run production numbers

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch had a big day at the dish on Saturday, going 4-for-6 with a homer, four runs scored, and three RBI. The Cubs demolished the Los Angeles Dodgers on Saturday afternoon, and Busch played a big part in that. The 27-year-old sophomore is off to a nice start this season, hitting .300 with a .926 OPS. If he can continue to build on last year, Busch should be a decent fantasy option in all formats. His only issue right now is that he isn't quite playing every day, but with more games like Saturday's that should figure itself out quickly.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch connected on his first home run of the season on Monday night against the Athletics. He finished 3-for-6 with two runs scored, a hit-by-pitch, and four RBI. The Cubs cleanup hitter got the 18-run onslaught started early with a two-run blast to right-center in the first inning off of Joey Estes. The 27-year-old has been locked in as the Cubs' cleanup hitter in the early going this season and has gone 7-for-24 (.292) with a .363 wOBA. He should continue to put up good run-production numbers as long as Chicago's offense is clicking on all cylinders. He hit 21 home runs in 152 games last season with a .336 wOBA, and he looks to be on roughly the same trajectory in the early part of the season.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch (rest) is out of the starting lineup ahead of Sunday's game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The left-handed slugger will get the day off against southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez. Busch is 4-for-17 through the first five games of the season, so maybe a day off will help him get back on track. Justin Turner will take over at first base and bat cleanup against Rodriguez on Sunday. Turner probably won't have regular fantasy value in a bench role, but could be worth a look as streaming option on Sunday.

The Athletic's Patrick Mooney writes that the Chicago Cubs could pair the recently-signed Justin Turner, who hits right-handed, with left-handed-hitting Michael Busch at first base in 2025 while also getting him additional at-bats as the designated hitter. Turner has mainly played third base in his 16-year MLB career, but it's unclear how much the Cubs will use him there given his age (40) and the organization's high hopes for top prospect Matt Shaw (oblique). Shaw is dealing with an oblique injury early in camp, but as long as he's healthy, he's the favorite to be the team's Opening Day third baseman after the Cubs didn't sign Alex Bregman in free agency. Turner's power numbers have dropped considerably in recent seasons, but his presence as an option at first base against left-handers is a hit to Busch's overall fantasy upside in 2025.

Chicago Tribune's Meghan Montemurro reports that it doesn't sound like Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch is an option to move across the diamond to third base next year after the team traded Isaac Paredes to the Houston Astros last week. Instead, the Cubs could give the job to top prospect Matt Shaw if he earns the job in spring training. Busch has some experience playing third base in his career, but the Cubs would prefer to keep his solid glove at first heading into his second season with the team. In his first full year in the big leagues in 2024, the lefty hitting Busch batted .248/.335/.440 with 21 home runs, 65 RBI and 73 runs scored in 152 games played. He could build on his solid season in 2025, but Busch's limited positional versatility and struggles against left-handed pitching will limit his overall fantasy upside.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch (triceps) is serving as the designated hitter and batting fifth for the Cubbies on Friday against the division-rival Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Nick Martinez at Wrigley Field. Busch was hit by a pitch earlier this week and missed one game as a result, but he's back now and ready to go for the final three games of the 2024 regular season this weekend. Cody Bellinger is making another start at first base, with rookie Kevin Alcantara making his second big-league start in right field. Busch does not have a hit in four career at-bats against Martinez. The 26-year-old left-handed hitter has produced his first 20-homer season and has also driven in 65 in 149 games in his first full season in the majors with the Cubs in 2024. Busch has been cold at the plate lately, going 3-for-20 (.150) with a homer, double, one RBI and six strikeouts in his last seven games played.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch (triceps) is out of the starting lineup for Wednesday's clash against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. Busch was hit on his triceps by a pitch during Tuesday's contest and left the game early. As a result, he'll take the day off on Wednesday and should be considered day-to-day. With a scheduled day off on Thursday, the 26-year-old should have a good chance of returning for the final series of the year this weekend at Wrigley Field versus the division-rival Cincinnati Reds. Cody Bellinger is starting at first base and is batting cleanup for the Cubs, with rookie Kevin Alcantara starting in right field and batting ninth in his big-league debut against Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez. In his first full season in 2024 with the Cubs, Busch has reached the 20-homer mark while batting .252/.335/.446 with a .780 OPS.

Chicago Cubs first baseman Michael Busch (arm) left Tuesday's contest early at Citizens Bank Park against the Philadelphia Phillies in the bottom of the second inning after being hit in the arm by a pitch in the second frame. Busch stayed in to run the bases but didn't come out following the half inning. Cody Bellinger moved from right field to first base, with Mike Tauchman entering the game in right field. It looked like Busch may have been hit in the elbow, but we'll know more once the team releases information on his status. The 26-year-old will likely have X-rays at the stadium, but even if he avoids any structural damage, he'll probably be in line for the day off on Wednesday. If it's a serious injury, Busch's season will be over. In his first full season in the big leagues with the Cubs this year, Busch produced 21 homers while hitting .252/.333/.446 with 65 RBI in 148 games played.