Cubs vs. Padres Lineup: Kevin Alcántara Returns – Can He Finally Get It Going?

Cubs vs. Padres Lineup: Kevin Alcántara Returns – Can He Finally Get It Going?

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The Chicago Cubs are looking to notch their third consecutive series win and fifth in their last six in Game 2 against the San Diego Padres on Tuesday evening. The vibes will be high after Monday's 3-2 walk-off win, and the Cubs are shuffling the batting order around ever so slightly.

It's going to be a hot, humid, and windy one in Chicago, with the wind blowing out to center field at 14 mph and gusts of up to 28 mph.

Game Info

Who: San Diego Padres (43-40) at Chicago Cubs (47-38)
Where: Wrigley Field
When: 7:05 p.m. CT
Watch: Marquee Sports Network
Listen: 104.3 The Score, Univision TUDN, WPPN 106.7 / TUDN

Chicago Cubs Lineup

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
2. Alex Bregman, 3B
3. Seiya Suzuki, DH
4. Carson Kelly, C
5. Michael Busch, 1B
6. Nico Hoerner, 2B
7. Ian Happ, LF
8. Dansby Swanson, SS
9. Kevin Alcántara, RF

Suzuki moves up to the three-hole after his walk-off single Monday, and the struggling Busch moves down from third to fifth.

After Matt Shaw landed on the IL (wrist) on Monday, the Cubs recalled Alcántara from Triple-A Iowa. It will mark the 23-year-old's second MLB stint in 2026 after he appeared in 12 games from May 23 to June 7.

While Alcántara rakes in Triple-A — he's hitting .273 with 17 home runs and a .936 OPS this season — the Dominican Republic native has struggled to adjust to MLB pitching since his debut in 2024. In 25 career MLB games, he is just 6-for-30 (.200) with one RBI, two walks, one stolen base, and nine strikeouts. In 2026, he is 1-for-9 with a walk and four strikeouts.

Alcántara is often used for his speed on the basepaths, but it was notably a costly baserunning mistake against the San Francisco Giants on June 7 that led to his subsequent demotion last time around.

This stint feels a lot like a make-or-break moment for him. With the Cubs now playing better baseball, it will be crucial for Alcántara to try to feed off the Cubs' contagious hitting and get an offensive streak going for the first time in his MLB career.

San Diego Padres Lineup

1. Fernando Tatis Jr., 2B
2. Samad Taylor, LF
3. Manny Machado, 3B
4. Miguel Andujar, DH
5. Ty France, 1B
6. Jackson Merrill, CF
7. Xander Bogaerts, SS
8. Jase Bowen, RF
9. Freddy Fermin, C

San Diego is, expectedly, going righty-heavy against Matthew Boyd. Merrill is the only left-handed hitter in manager Craig Stammen's lineup. The 23-year-old has been a dangerous hitter in the past, but his third MLB season has seen him put up the worst numbers of his young career, hitting just .213 with a .617 OPS in 80 games so far.

Machado has the most sustained success against Boyd in his career (8-for-16, three RBI, 1.221 OPS) and is likely to pose the biggest threat in the Padres' lineup against the southpaw.

On the Mound...

Chicago Cubs - Matthew Boyd, LHP (2-1, 5.02 ERA)

Boyd is making his second start since returning from the IL (knee) on June 25.

He faced the New York Mets in his first start back and turned in 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing four hits, striking out four, and walking four.

Boyd only threw 76 pitches in Queens, but expect him to go much deeper this time around now that he's a bit more stretched out. He did, however, struggle against the Padres on the road in April — Boyd lasted just four innings after allowing five earned runs on eight hits in the Cubs' 9-7 loss.

The Padres' bats have cooled off a lot since then, though. At the time, they were 19-9 and one of the best offensive teams in the early season. They have since gone 24-31, and their team batting average of .222 is baseball's worst entering Tuesday. They'll see a southpaw for the second game in a row after Shota Imanaga threw 6.1 innings of two-run ball in Monday's win.

San Diego Padres - J.P. Sears, LHP (1-0, 3.18 ERA)

Sears is making just his second start of the 2026 season after spending the first three months of the season with Triple-A El Paso. He was solid against the Atlanta Braves last time out, striking out five over 5.2 innings and allowing just two earned runs.

Only two Cubs hitters — Bregman and Kelly — have ever faced Sears, but each has seen success. Bregman has a career .350 average and a 1.159 OPS in 20 at-bats against the righty with two home runs and five RBI. Kelly has faced Sears twice and has gotten a hit both times.

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I am a sports journalist and content producer born and raised on Chicago's North Side. I graduated from the University of Denver in 2022 with a Bachelor's degree in Media Studies and from Northwestern University in 2024 with a Master's degree in Journalism. As a student, I earned bylines in USA TODAY and FanSided and covered a wide range of sporting events, including Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas and the NBA Draft Combine. I previously covered the Chicago Cubs as a beat writer and digital content producer at Marquee Sports Network during the 2025 season. I also assisted in coverage of the Bears, Sky, Fire and Stars. I most recently covered the 2026 Winter Olympics with NBC Sports, where I wrote about bobsled, luge and skeleton for NBCOlympics.com. When I'm not writing, I love to play my guitar (I'm a lefty!), find the best cold brew coffee in the city and watch my beloved Chicago sports teams on TV.