Chicago Cubs: Michael Conforto is making the most of his second chance

The Chicago Cubs went all last season without a true fourth outfielder. As a result, starters Ian Happ and Pete Crow-Armstrong, especially, were forced to play almost every inning of the season.

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Coming into 2026, one of the focal points for the team was bench depth and the front office tackled the fourth outfielder issue by picking up Justin Dean, Chas McCormick, Dylan Carlson, and then Michael Conforto to compete for that key backup spot.

Conforto, who languished through a horrible 2025 with the Los Angeles Dodgers, was picked up on a minor league deal, but eventually got the backup outfielder gig, as well as an Opening Day starter spot due to the knee injury of right fielder Seiya Suzuki.

Dodgers fans had a chuckle at the Cubs’ decision at the time. Last year, the veteran alternated between being a punchline and a target for angry LA fans after a season that saw him hit a meager .199 and get left off the postseason roster.

Nobody’s laughing at the Cubs’ folly anymore.

Conforto: From punchline to hardline

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The 33-year-old is killing it so far this year as a bench asset and has even started to get some starting time in right field. As of this writing, he’s hitting .375 with 2 home runs and 8 RBIs in limited play. He’s also coming off the hottest week of his recent career—one where he banged a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to get the Cubs past the Cincinnati Reds 5-4 on Monday and went 6-for-10 overall with 2 homers, 3 RBIs, and one excellent catch up against the brick-and-ivy at Wrigley Field.

The Cubs are looking like geniuses for giving the 11-year-veteran a shot this season, on a more-than-reasonable $2 million contract.

Underlying metrics, though, made the case that Conforto could possibly have a rebound year. Even in his career-worst 2025, he hit the ball hard, didn’t chase bad pitches, and had a top-tier walk rate. Ultimately, it was a low-risk gamble that is paying off– especially under manager Craig Counsell, who’s using the left-handed hitter in just the right matchups.

Counsell’s perfect matchups

For example, in Monday’s walk-off heroics, Conforto was used as a pinch-hitter for Matt Shaw against the Reds’ tough righty closer Emilio Pagan.

“What Michael did, it’s so hard,” Counsell told reporters after that game. “He didn’t have an at-bat this weekend. It’s no at-bats in four days. There’s nobody on base. But, he’s got the ability to do that. And he got a pitch up and put a great swing on it…Before the home run, he puts together a good at-bat just to get to that pitch. [I] respect how hard that at-bat is, and to deliver in that situation is just really hard to do and should make you enjoy it even more.”

Admittedly, we have a very small sample size on which to judge Conforto. But he’s already exceeded expectations and, realistically, the bar isn’t set very high for what’s expected from a fourth outfielder anyway.

All in all, this offseason pickup may turn out to be one of the smartest for the team and a crucial one down the stretch.

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Source: https://www.chicitysports.com/chicago-cubs-michael-conforto-outfield-second-chance-streak/