Ian Happ Will Be In Lineup For Cubs On Consistent Basis

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Cubs scrimmaged on Sunday, but they will not play another real game until they take on the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday – with a COVID-19 outbreak among the St. Louis Cardinals forcing the series that should have been going on this weekend to be postponed.

When the Cubs do get back on the field, you can expect to see Ian Happ in the lineup on a consistent basis.

A year ago, Happ was just coming back from a nearly 100-game demotion to AAA.

Now, it looks like he has finally grabbed that everyday job in center field.

"It's hard to take Ian Happ out of the lineup. This guy's swinging a bat really well. His right-handed at-bats have gotten tremendously better for me. You know, he's been a staple; he's the real deal in my opinion," said Cubs Manager David Ross. "So right now, the job's going to be his."

"That's what I want to do. Like I said, I learned a lot. You learn where you get better as things go. I think it's something you've seen with all the young guys. You saw it with Riz years ago. You see it with Javy; whoever you've seen, every guy that's come up on the Cubs go through patterns where they're good, they struggle, they get better," Happ said. "I feel great about where I'm at right now; my ability to help."