Despite Craig Counsell’s masterful handling of a decimated pitching staff, the Cubs manager continues to make questionable decisions.
Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell deserves a ton of credit for where this team is right now.
The Cubs have dealt with countless blows during the 2026 campaign, which included losing Cade Horton for the season, potentially losing Justin Steele for another year, and rotating through different bullpen arms.
No team has thrown out more pitchers this season than the Cubs. Their 33 different pitchers used are the most in baseball, and the average age of these pitchers is 31.4. Chicago has relied on pitchers like Jake Woodford, Corbin Martin, Charlie Barnes, Bryse Wilson, and Jayden Murray at different points this year.
Counsell has done the best he could with the pieces the front office has given him. He should absolutely be in the running for National League Manager of the Year and could be a finalist for the award if the North Siders finish the year strong.
But there are still some questionable decisions that Counsell continues to make.
The first is not giving Pedro Ramirez consistent at-bats.
Ramirez went almost one whole month without starting a game for the Cubs. Before his start at deisngated hitter on Saturday, Ramirez last started a game on June 24 against the New York Mets. That simply can not happen.
The 22-year-old has the hitting tools to contribute solid numbers at the plate in his rookie season. This is the same hitter who batted .312 with nine home runs, 11 doubles, one triple, 40 RBI, and 19 stolen bases in his first 43 games at Triple-A this year.
Counsell should give Ramirez more opportunities to show his potential because he is clearly not starting enough games. With Moises Ballesteros still at Triple-A, the rookie should be getting most of the DH starts over Michael Conforto.
Just look at what Ramirez did in his two starts over the weekend. He went 2-for-3 with one double and two RBI in Saturday’s win and 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI in Sunday’s win. He needs to be in the lineup more.
The second is Counsell continuing to push Javier Assad aside.
Jameson Taillon’s return to the rotation means that one Cubs starter will be moved to the bullpen. Since Taillon will start on Monday, David Peterson on Tuesday, and Colin Rea on Wednesday, Assad is the odd man out in this rotation once again.
And honestly, he shouldn’t be.
Assad has been one of the Cubs' most consistent starters over the last few weeks. Outside of allowing four runs across 2 ⅔ innings against the Padres on June 30, he has provided strong numbers on the mound. He has a 2.80 ERA in his last seven starts.
The Cubs right-hander deserves a spot in the rotation. He has been a much better starting pitcher than Peterson, Taillon, and Rea this season. His 3.64 ERA as a starter shows just that.
