Cubs Won’t Bench Dansby Swanson for One Reason — and It’s Not His Bat

The box score says Dansby Swanson is hitting .176. That’s not a typo, and it’s not a slow start anymore — it’s nearly half a season of offensive struggles from a shortstop the Chicago Cubs handed a seven-year, $177 million contract. But as the trade deadline approaches and fans call for changes, the Cubs are doing something that might surprise you: absolutely nothing.

On Tuesday, Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer was asked directly about Swanson’s brutal numbers. According to ESPN’s Jesse Rogers, Hoyer didn’t dodge the question. Instead, he pointed to something the box score doesn’t capture: run prevention. “To answer the question directly, we can’t run away from our run prevention when we struggle offensively,” Hoyer said, calling defense the ‘backbone’ of the team.

That answer tells you everything about how the Cubs are viewing this season — and how much they value Swanson’s glove.

The 32-year-old shortstop is a two-time All-Star and a World Series champion. He has a track record. But this year, he’s slashing .176/.280/.308 across 69 games. That’s not a slump; that’s a crisis at the plate. And yet Chicago keeps running him out there every night. Why?

Defense First, Always

The Cubs’ logic is simple: elite shortstops who can field don’t grow on trees. Even with a .176 average, Swanson remains a plus defender at a premium position. In an era where run prevention is king, the Cubs believe losing his glove would hurt more than gaining a slightly better bat. That’s not just organizational talking points — it’s backed by analytics that show Swanson still ranks among the league’s best in defensive runs saved.

But here’s the problem: you can’t win consistently when your starting shortstop is hitting well under .200. The Cubs lineup has already dealt with uneven production from multiple spots. Adding a black hole at the top of the infield makes every rally a grind.

The Stretch-Run Dilemma

In an ideal world, Swanson finds his stroke soon. He’s too talented and too experienced to stay this cold forever. But if he doesn’t — if September rolls around and he’s still flailing at fastballs — the Cubs will face an excruciating decision. Do you bench a $177 million player in a pennant race? Do you move him down the order? Or do you eat the contract and let him play through it, hoping for a turnaround that may never come?

For now, the Cubs are betting on the latter. Swanson will keep taking the field at shortstop. He’ll keep getting his at-bats. And the front office will keep insisting that defense matters more than the batting average. That’s a high-stakes bet — especially for a team trying to stay relevant in a tight division race.

This is a situation worth watching. Because if Swanson doesn’t turn things around soon, those three months of misery could turn into a decision that defines Chicago’s season.