Happ (hamstring) is starting in left field and batting second Tuesday against the Astros, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The 29-year-old sat out Saturday and Sunday with hamstring soreness after exiting Friday's contest, but he's ready to retake the field following Monday's team off day. Happ has been in a slump over his past nine games, going 4-for-35 after he posted a .933 OPS in his first 40 at-bats of the campaign.
Happ (hamstring) is not in the starting lineup for Sunday's game against the Marlins.
Happ was removed from Friday's game against Miami due to left hamstring tightness, and he didn't play in either of the doubleheader games Saturday. In Happ's absence, Alexander Canario will start again in left field and bat ninth against Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera. Happ did note before Sunday's game that he is available off the bench and believes he'll be ready for Tuesday's series opener against the Astros, per Tony Andracki of Marquee Sports Network.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Dealing with hamstring tightness
Rotowire
Happ was removed from Friday's game against the Marlins due to tightness in his left hamstring, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Manager Craig Counsell said the decision to remove Happ from the game was precautionary, as he missed time during spring training due to a strain in the same hamstring. The 29-year-old's status for the weekend remains unclear, though it's certainly possible he sits down for a game or two in order to properly recover.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Delivers go-ahead grand slam
Rotowire
Happ went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and two additional runs scored during Tuesday's 12-11 extra-inning loss to Arizona.
Happ's first homer of 2024 came in crunch time, as the seventh-inning grand slam put the Cubs ahead by three runs. It was Happ's second game of the season with three or more hits while his three runs scored marked a season high. Tuesday's contest also snapped a bit of a slump, as he entered the game 1-for-20 (.050) over his previous five games.
Happ went 1-for-4 with a walk, a triple, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-7 win over the Dodgers.
Batting leadoff for the fifth time in seven games, Happ served as an effective tablesetter, and he recorded his first triple of the season as well. The outfielder is in a good position to produce atop a potent Chicago lineup, which could allow him to surpass the career-high 86 runs he recorded last season. Happ now has six runs scored so far this year.
Happ went 4-for-5 with a double, a walk, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's 9-5 win over the Rangers.
Happ was able to reach base five times Sunday, including with an RBI-double in the fourth inning. He has now reached base in each of the first three games of the season, going 5-for-12 with a double, two RBI, a run scored and two walks.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Back in lineup for exhibition
Rotowire
Happ (hamstring) will start in left field and bat leadoff in Monday's Cactus League game against the Cardinals.
Happ will be making his fourth start in eight days but just his third in left field since he was shut down for a little over two weeks earlier this month due to a left hamstring strain. Following Happ's most recent start this past Thursday, manager Craig Counsell said that the outfielder had plateaued in his recovery from the hamstring strain, but Happ's presence in the lineup four days later suggests he's still on track to be ready to go for Thursday's season opener versus the Rangers. The Cubs could continue to exercise some caution with Happ early in the season by giving him more starts as a designated hitter rather than a left fielder, and the hamstring issue may naturally result in him being less active as a base stealer after he pilfered a career-high 14 bags in 2023.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Hamstring strain lingers
Rotowire
Manager Craig Counsell revealed Saturday that Happ's recovery from a left hamstring injury has plateaued and that he will be held out of the spring lineup until Monday's exhibition against the Cardinals, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.
Happ has gone hitless over his last two spring training games and is slashing .111/.158/.167 with one RBI over 18 at-bats. Counsell said that Happ's availability for Opening Day is not in jeopardy "right now," but the outfielder will sit out for the rest of the weekend.
Happ (hamstring) is starting in left field and batting sixth in Tuesday's Cactus League game against the Diamondbacks.
The 29-year-old started at designated hitter Sunday in his first Cactus League action since Feb. 29 due to a hamstring strain, and he's now back to playing the outfield. Happ will get in a few games during the final week of spring training and should be ready to go for Opening Day next week.
Happ (hamstring) will serve as the Cubs' designated hitter and leadoff batter in Sunday's Cactus League game against the Rangers.
Happ will return to the lineup for the first time since Feb. 29 after missing the past two and a half weeks while recovering from a right hamstring strain. The Cubs will ease Happ back into the mix in a non-defensive role, but assuming he's able to resume patrolling left field at some point later this week, he should be ready to handle an everyday role when the team opens its season March 28 in Texas.
Cubs manager Craig Counsell said Wednesday that Happ (hamstring) remains on track to be ready for Opening Day, Jared Wyllys of AllCHGO.com reports.
Happ has been held out of spring games all month with a left hamstring injury, and it's not clear when he might return. However, Counsell insists the club is just being careful, adding that Happ should be ready to go for the season-opening game versus the Rangers on March 28.
