Willson Contreras and Ben Zobrist Return to Cubs Lineup for Tuesday's Clash With Mariners

Good news, Cubs fans: Joe Maddon announced today Ben Zobrist and Willson Contreras will both be in the starting lineup tonight for Chicago as they face the Seattle Mariners.

Zobrist returns for the final month of the regular season after being absent since May due to personal reasons. Before he left, the switch-hitting utilityman had a batting line of .241/.343/.253 in 99 plate appearances, and the Cubs will look for a higher level of production and consistency from him out of the leadoff spot.

Meanwhile, Contreras was sidelined for a month with a hamstring injury, leaving the team with very few options behind the plate. There is no doubt Maddon will be ecstatic to have his top backstop in the lineup tonight to catch Jon Lester.

Contreras has a history of hamstring ailments, as he had previously missed significant time in 2017 due to the same injury.

Although both players may be quite rusty in their first couple of games back, the Cubs could definitely use a boost from both their All-Star catcher in Contreras and former World Series MVP in Zobrist, as they find themselves in the middle of an intense playoff race for a Wild Card spot.