Pete Crow-Armstrong becomes 7th player in MLB history to join the 40-40 club

Pete Crow-Armstrong has reached one of baseball's most exclusive addresses. The Cubs outfielder became the seventh player in MLB history to join the 40-40 club, per MLB.com's Jordan Bastian — a milestone that places him in company so rare it has taken the sport well over a century to accumulate seven names.

What happened

Crow-Armstrong reached both 40 home runs and 40 stolen bases in the same season, per Bastian for MLB.com. The achievement puts him among a group of players whose combination of power and speed has cleared that threshold in a single campaign — a list that now numbers exactly seven.

Why it matters

The 40-40 club is not a marketing construct. It is a genuine test of two skills that tend to trade off against each other as players develop: raw power typically comes with a heavier frame and a longer swing, while elite basestealing speed rewards a different physical profile and a different approach at the plate. Players who sustain both at the 40-home-run and 40-steal level in the same season are, by definition, outliers in a sport that has been played professionally for generations.

For the Cubs, the timing carries weight beyond the historical footnote. Chicago enters the final stretch of the regular season at 87-71 (.551), sitting second in the NL Central and eliminated from the division race. The club has dropped its last two games and is 12 games back in the division. What remains very much alive is a postseason berth, and Crow-Armstrong's presence as a 40-40 contributor gives the Cubs a dynamic offensive weapon heading into October — assuming the roster holds together.

That last clause is not idle hedging. Alex Bregman has been dealing with facial fractures sustained when a foul ball struck him in the on-deck circle earlier this week. Per reporting over the past several days, Bregman is not expected to require surgery and a postseason return has not been ruled out, though his availability remains uncertain. As of September 24, he was reported to be ramping up activity. The Cubs' ability to field their full lineup in the playoffs may hinge on how that situation resolves over the coming days.

Where the club stands

Chicago is 87-71 (.551), second in the NL Central and 12 games back of the division leader, with the division race already settled against them. The Cubs are on a two-game losing streak. On Thursday, September 24, they host the Miami Marlins at Wrigley Field, with Matthew Boyd scheduled against Tyler Phillips. Friday takes them to Fenway Park to face the Boston Red Sox.

With the division out of reach, every remaining game is effectively a positioning exercise for the wild card. The Cubs' postseason fate will be determined by what happens over these final days of the regular season — and by whether Bregman can return to the lineup before the calendar flips to October.

What we don't know yet

MLB.com's report does not specify which game or at-bat produced Crow-Armstrong's 40th home run or 40th stolen base, nor does it detail the full list of the six players who preceded him in the 40-40 club. Bregman's precise availability for the postseason remains unconfirmed; reporting indicates a return is possible and that he has been ramping up activity, but no official timetable has been announced.

What to watch

The obvious thread to follow is whether Crow-Armstrong can add to his totals over the final days of the regular season — and whether the Cubs can convert their 87-71 record into a postseason appearance. Bregman's status will be the other dominant storyline out of Chicago between now and the start of October. A Cubs lineup with both players healthy and available looks meaningfully different from one without Bregman, and that distinction could matter quickly once the postseason begins.