It is relatively good news for shortstop Dansby Swanson, who left Sunday’s game after a violent swing and a miss in the third inning. Fans immediately knew it was an oblique issue when the Chicago Cubs announced Swanson had exited with discomfort in his left side, and on Monday it was confirmed that he would miss several weeks due to the muscle injury.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers first reported that it is a Grade 2 oblique strain, which would put Swanson’s return timeline at 4-6 weeks. That would push his return date right before the start of the postseason, but Cubs manager Craig Counsell sounded extremely confident that Swanson will 100% return to the team before the playoffs start.
Counsell said Swanson should be back in four weeks, meaning the shortstop may be back in the lineup for the final nine games of the regular season.
Although there have been some extremely frustrating periods for Swanson in 2026, he remains an elite defender at shortstop, and although his overall performance on offense has been below league average at a 95 wRC+, Swanson has hit 18 home runs this year.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
Swanson has 1,023.2 innings at shortstop in 2026, the fourth most in MLB, and has committed six errors, the second fewest at the position. He ranks fourth among all MLB shortstops with 6 Defensive Runs Saved and third in Outs Above Average with 16.
Moving forward, the Cubs will feature Nico Hoerner and rookie Pedro Ramirez up the middle. Hoerner has incredible range, so he’ll be fine filling in for Swanson at shortstop, while Ramirez should be more than capable at second base. It’s a big opportunity for Ramirez, who has been used all over the field as a backup this year, but now he’ll be starting more often with Swanson on the injured list.
The Cubs did swap out James Triantos for veteran Owen Miller, who will now serve as the backup shortstop to Hoerner until Swanson is able to come back from the oblique injury. But for the most part, Counsell will be sticking with Hoerner at shortstop and Ramirez at second base.
Matt Shaw, who has been out since June 28 with a wrist injury, is expected to begin a rehab assignment this week. So, once he’s ready to come back, Shaw will likely get in the mix in the infield as well.
The Dansby Swanson experience can be frustrating at times at the plate, but fans should know just how important he is to this team. He was a major reason for the Cubs beating the San Diego Padres in the 2025 Wild Card round thanks to his elite defense at shortstop. Hopefully, the drop-off won’t be too costly for the Cubs this next month.
