How Cubs first baseman Michael Busch 'earned' everyday role, at-bats against left-handed pitchers

MESA, Ariz. — Cubs first baseman Michael Busch’s transition to hitting left-handed pitching will take some level of trial and error.

Busch, 28, was the left-handed side of a loose platoon for the first two full seasons of his major-league career. He's started consistently against right-handed hitting. But against tough southpaw matchups, the Cubs have always had right-handed hitters — or for parts of 2024, left-handed hitting Cody Bellinger, who has even splits — available to come off the bench or start in his place.