Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson left today’s game with what was initially described as left side discomfort, and he’ll now miss an extended period of time. Manager Craig Counsell told the Athletic’s Patrick Mooney and other reporters that Swanson has an oblique injury that will result in a 10-day injured list placement prior to tomorrow’s game with the White Sox. Swanson will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent and nature of the oblique problem.
In the third inning of today’s 11-4 loss to the Cardinals, Swanson took a big cut at a Hunter Dobbins fastball and was in obvious discomfort following the swing-and-miss. James Triantos had to step in to complete the rest of Swanson’s at-bat, and Nico Hoerner then moved from second base to shortstop (with Triantos going to second base) in the top of the fourth.
Hoerner figures to get most or all of the action at shortstop while Swanson is sidelined. Hot-hitting rookie Pedro Ramirez has been earning more playing time lately and figures to get the bulk of the second base action, with Triantos another option. Matt Shaw may be starting a minor league rehab assignment in the coming days, and if Shaw is ready before Swanson is back, Shaw will also factor into the infield mix.
Chicago therefore has enough depth on hand to withstand a relatively brief IL stint for Swanson. The nature of oblique injuries, however, creates immediate concern that the rest of his 2026 season could be in jeopardy. Even a moderate strain will probably shelve Swanson for at least a month. The Cubs have a healthy enough lead in the NL wild card race that losing Swanson probably won’t impact their playoff chances, but obviously it isn’t great news to lose an elite defensive shortstop even for 10 days.
Swanson has +16 Outs Above Average and +6 Defensive Runs Saved at shortstop this year, making a strong case for the third Gold Glove Award and second Fielding Bible Award of his career. For the third straight season, Swanson is delivering slightly below league-average offense, as he has a 95 wRC+ from a slash line of .216/.300/.404 over 458 plate appearances. Swanson does have 18 homers and 17 steals in 18 attempts, so he has provided some help to the powerful Cubs offense.
Injuries are a rarity for Swanson, who had a couple of minimal 10-day IL stints in 2023 (for a heel contusion) and 2024 (mild right knee sprain). Swanson has played in 119 of the Cubs’ 125 games this season, and 955 of a possible 995 games since the start of the 2020 season.
