In a move that came as a surprise to many, Ian Happ was optioned to Triple-A Iowa rather than breaking camp with the big club, ostensibly because the Cubs couldn’t give him regular at-bats. The time in Iowa would also allow him to work on his approach and reducing his strikeout rate, which climbed to 36.1% in 2018 from the 31.2% he posted in his rookie season of 2017.
In the meantime, Albert Almora Jr. has received a majority of the starts in center field for the Cubs, with 62 games started in 87 total games played.