Craig Counsell Announces Troubling News Amid Spring Training

Unfortunately, one of those depth additions with real upside suffered a major setback. That player is Tyler Austin, a versatile right‑handed hitter who can play both first base and the outfield.

The Cubs signed Austin to a one‑year, $1.25 million deal in December, and he had been working throughout spring training with the expectations of earning a spot on the Opening Day roster.

Now, that will not be the case. On Wednesday, manager Craig Counsell announced that Austin would be out for “months” after undergoing a surgical procedure on his right knee (h/t Patrick Mooney of The Athletic).

This is especially disappointing because Austin had finally earned another opportunity in the big leagues and was considered the frontrunner for the final bench role. He has not appeared in MLB since 2019, but he revived his career last season in Japan.

The 34‑year‑old posted a .280 batting average, .363 on‑base percentage, .865 OPS, 12 home runs and 35 RBIs across 72 games for the Yokohama BayStars. His performance overseas earned him this chance with Chicago, but now he will not be able to showcase those improvements for months, and possibly not at all this season.

The Cubs signed outfielder Michael Conforto to a minor‑league deal on Tuesday, so he becomes a candidate to take over the bench spot that Austin was favored to win. Chicago will spend much of spring training evaluating internal options and determining who deserves that final role.

For a team that invested heavily in depth this offseason, losing Austin is a setback, but the Cubs still have enough competition in camp to fill the void as they push toward Opening Day.