Happ (oblique) was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic reports.
The move is retroactive to May 10. Moises Ballesteros is making his big-league debut Tuesday while Seiya Suzuki shifts to the outfield in Happ's absence. Happ is hitting .269 with three home runs, two steals, 29 runs and 19 RBI in 39 games.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Headed for IL
Rotowire
The Cubs are expected to place Happ (oblique) on the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Bruce Levine of 670TheScore.com reports.
The club has yet to make this move official, but Happ is out of the lineup Monday against the Marlins for the third game in a row due to the oblique issue and isn't progressing as quickly as the club had hoped. Because he hasn't played since May 9, his IL stint would be retroactive to that date, meaning that he could be activated as soon as May 20. The Cubs plan to call up Moises Ballesteros from Triple-A Iowa in a corresponding move, and he will likely take over as the team's primary designated hitter, which will allow Seiya Suzuki to continue serving as Happ's main replacement in left field.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Not ready to rejoin lineup
Rotowire
Happ (oblique) remains out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Marlins.
Happ will hit the bench for a third straight game while he contends with oblique discomfort, but at this stage, the Cubs are characterizing his injury as a day-to-day concern and don't believe he'll require a stint on the injured list. Per MLB.com, Happ was able to take some swings in the batting cage Sunday, so he could be available as a pinch hitter off the bench in Monday's series opener.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Could play Monday
Rotowire
Happ (oblique) played catch and took swings prior to Sunday's game and could return to the lineup as soon as Monday against the Marlins, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Happ is on the bench Sunday for the second day in a row due to oblique discomfort, but his ability to take part in on-field work suggests his injury is minor. He'll be re-evaluated when the Cubs return home Monday before a decision is made on his availability.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Out again Sunday
Rotowire
Happ (oblique) is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Mets.
Happ will miss a second straight start due to oblique discomfort, which he experienced during a swing in his first at-bat Friday. The Cubs are viewing Happ as day-to-day and have been labeling his absence as precautionary, but it's unclear if he'll be available for the start of the team's three-game series with the Marlins that begins Monday. Pete Crow-Armstrong will get another look out of the leadoff spot Sunday.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Nursing oblique injury
Rotowire
Happ isn't in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Mets due to an oblique injury, Taylor McGregor of Marquee Sports Network reports.
Happ's oblique reportedly began bothering him after his first at-bat in Friday's contest, but he was able to play through it for the rest of the night. The Cubs will sit him down Saturday as a precaution and start Seiya Suzuki in left field while Justin Turner serves as the DH.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Seven-game hitting streak snapped
Rotowire
Happ went 0-for-4 with one walk, one hit-by-pitch and four strikeouts in Tuesday's 14-5 extra-innings loss to the Giants.
Happ entered Tuesday's game with a career-low 16.8 percent strikeout rate and a seven-game hitting streak. He was able to get on base twice in his six plate appearances but struck out in the other four (three swinging). It was a disappointing performance for Happ, but he's still enjoying a strong start to the season and is slashing .279/.369/.765 with one stolen base, 29 runs scored, three home runs and 19 RBI in 179 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Drives in three runs Monday
Rotowire
Happ went 1-for-3 with a home run and three RBI in a 9-2 win over the Giants on Monday.
Happ kicked off the scoring for Chicago with a two-run homer in the third inning and added a sacrifice fly in the sixth. The long ball extended his hitting streak to seven games, a stretch in which he's batting .407 with five RBI and seven runs. Happ's overall .287 batting average is on pace for a career-high mark, but he's lacked in the power department so far with just three homers through 36 games.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Reaches four times
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Happ went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs in Thursday's 8-3 win against the Pirates.
Happ was an ideal leadoff man Thursday as he reached in four of five plate appearances, which is the third time he's been on base at least four times in a game this season. The 30-year-old isn't hitting for much power early in 2025 with just two homers through 32 contests, but he's still been a productive lineup piece with nine doubles, 26 runs and a .279/.365/.390 slash line.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Brings home two runs
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Happ went 2-for-4 with a two-run single and a run scored in Wednesday's 4-3 loss to the Pirates.
Happ put the Cubs on the board with a two-run single in the fifth inning, and he came around to score later in the frame on a wild pitch from Ryan Borucki. After going 5-for-28 in March, Happ ended the month of April with a .288/.353/.385 slash line with one stolen base, 20 runs scored, one home run and 11 RBI in 116 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Delivers two doubles in win
Rotowire
Happ went 2-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI in Friday's 4-0 win over the Phillies.
Happ has been in a groove lately, as he's batting .356 over his last 10 games with a home run, six RBI and six runs scored. The veteran outfielder started slowly with a .222 average prior to his recent hot stretch, but he seems to be rounding into his usual form as a productive leadoff hitter for the Cubs.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Collects four hits Tuesday
Rotowire
Happ went 4-for-5 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs scored in Tuesday's 11-10, 10-inning win over the Dodgers.
This was the fourth time that Happ has collected three or more hits in his last nine games, as he's quickly moving past a slow start to the season. Overall, the veteran outfielder is now batting .271 with 13 RBI and 21 runs scored across 25 games. Happ remains a reliable fantasy contributor who can help in multiple categories.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Pops grand slam in wild win
Rotowire
Happ went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and two total runs scored in Friday's 13-11 win over the Diamondbacks.
Happ helped propel the Cubs to a 7-1 lead with his grand slam in the seventh inning, which was his second home run of the season. Chicago would proceed to allow 10 runs in the eighth but still rallied to win. The veteran Happ is starting to get going after a slow start. Over his last eight games, he's gone 12-for-35 with three extra-base knocks.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Records three hits in big win
Rotowire
Happ went 3-for-5 with a walk, a double and two runs scored in Saturday's 16-0 win over the Dodgers.
Happ was one of six Chicago players will multiple hits as the Cubs cruised to a stunning road victory over the defending World Series champions. The veteran outfielder came into the night batting just .194, raising his average 28 points with the performance. Happ has batted below .250 each of the last two seasons, so he shouldn't be expected to climb too much more in that category, but he typically offsets that with his on-base skills and power production.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Leads charge in domestic opener
Rotowire
Happ went 2-for-5 with a walk, a double, a home run, two runs scored and three total RBI in Thursday's 10-6 win over the Diamondbacks.
Happ batted leadoff and led the way for the Cubs in the team's first game in the U.S., after they started the season with a two-game set in Tokyo. The veteran outfielder collected a hit in each of those games, and Thursday he recorded his first multi-hit performance as well as launching his first home run of the year. Happ should remain at or near the top of Chicago's lineup, and over the last four seasons he's averaged about 22 homers, 11 steals, 77 RBI and 77 runs.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: May hit leadoff again in 2025
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Happ is a top option to begin the regular season as the Cubs' leadoff hitter, Sahadev Sharma and Patrick Mooney of The Athletic report.
Happ hit in a number of lineup spots last year, though he appeared most frequently (66 times) as the leadoff man. Pete Crow-Armstrong has the speed to be an effective leadoff hitter but has yet to display consistent on-base skills, and Chicago manager Craig Counsell said his "gut" tells him that Crow-Armstrong won't start the season atop the order. Happ is a natural option to turn to, though Nico Hoerner and others could be in the mix as well.+
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Rejoining lineup Tuesday
Rotowire
Happ (back) is starting in left field and batting leadoff Tuesday against the Phillies.
The 30-year-old sat out the past two games due to lower-back tightness but is good to go for Tuesday's contest. Happ has a .284/.333/.395 slash line with two homers, two steals, nine RBI and 11 runs through 20 games in September.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Out again with back tightness
Rotowire
Happ (back) remains out of the lineup for Monday's game in Philadelphia.
Happ was scratched from the lineup ahead of Sunday's 5-0 win over the Nationals because of lower-back tightness and will miss a second straight start Monday. He is considered day-to-day. Mike Tauchman will play left field and bat leadoff in Happ's stead.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Dealing with back tightness
Rotowire
Manager Craig Counsell said after Sunday's 5-0 win over the Nationals that Happ was scratched from the lineup due to lower back tightness, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
Happ was set to start in left field and bat in the leadoff spot, but his back issue forced him to sit for Sunday's series finale, and the 30-year-old outfielder is considered day-to-day with the injury. Since Sept. 1, Happ has slashed .284/.333/.395 with two home runs and nine RBI over 87 plate appearances.
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Cubs' Ian Happ: Scratched from lineup
Rotowire
Happ was scratched from the lineup for Sunday's game against the Nationals, Tim Stebbins of MLB.com reports.
The reason for Happ's removal from the lineup was not immediately available. Mike Tauchman is now slated to lead off against right-hander Jake Irvin as Patrick Wisdom starts in left, batting sixth.
