CHICAGO — The chance for a player to take the field for a hometown team is rare, but it’s one a native of the northwest suburbs finally got to have this week.

Cubs outfielder Mike Tauchman, who grew up in Palatine and played for Fremd High School, got his chance to play at Wrigley Field for the first time during the homestand. He got the start in all three games against the Mets, doing so in center field, as he finally got the chance to take the field at the Friendly Confines.

He’ll be in the starting lineup on Friday when the Cubs open up a three-game series with the Reds at Wrigley Field at 1:20 p.m.

Tauchman, who was an All-American at Bradley University, debuted with the Rockies in 2017 and played with the Yankees and Giants since then, but had never gotten the chance to play at Wrigley Field. In 2019, he played three games at Guaranteed Rate Field as a member of the Yankees.

Signed to a minor league contract to begin the season, Tauchman was called up to the big league club on May 19 and made his Cubs’ debut that night against the Phillies in Philadelphia. During the three-game series with the Mets, he was 3-for-10 with an RBI, a run scored, two walks, and three strikeouts.

In six games with the Cubs, Tauchman is hitting .286 with a double and and RBI in 14 plate appearances. During parts of six MLB seasons, he’s played in 263 games with a slash line of .232/.329/.377 with 31 doubles, two triples, 17 homers, and 79 RBI.