Chicago Cubs slugger Moises Ballesteros has been hitting the cover off the ball this season, and Craig Counsell has worked him into the lineup in a new way.
Ballesteros, who has started 18 games for the Cubs this season at designated hitter, will get behind the plate on Monday when the team opens a three-game series against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.
It will mark Ballesteros’ second career MLB start at catcher, and he has appeared at the position for two innings in one game earlier this season.
Ballesteros will bat sixth in the lineup, with Ian Happ serving as the designated hitter and Michael Conforto playing left field for the North Siders.
Here is the team’s full lineup for the series opener against the Padres, with Matthew Boyd taking the start for the Cubs.
1 Nico Hoerner – 2B
2 Michael Busch – 1B
3 Alex Bregman – 3B
4 Ian Happ – DH
5 Seiya Suzuki – RF
6 Moises Ballesteros – C
7 Michael Conforto – LF
8 Dansby Swanson – SS
9 Pete Crow-Armstrong – CF
In 65 plate appearances so far this season, Ballesteros has posted a blistering .397 batting average and an equally impressive .446 on-base percentage, with four home runs and 12 RBI’s. He has shown solid discipline at the plate as he’s drawn six walks, and his OPS of 1.136 is certainly opening eyes around the league.
Counsell also made some waves on Saturday night when he left Ballesteros in the game to face a left-handed pitcher against the Los Angeles Dodgers, bucking his previous trend of pulling the youngster from games in favor of a right-hander in those spots.
Ballesteros did not disappoint, coaxing a nine-pitch walk in the process.
Ballesteros and the Cubs will hope to snap a brief two-game losing streak against the Padres on Monday night, with first pitch in San Diego set for 8:40 p.m. Central.
