Chicago Cubs Outfielder In Concussion Protocol

The Chicago Cubs will be without Owen Caissie for at least the next week after the team placed him in concussion protocol. Caissie sustained a possible head injury in Saturday afternoon’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. Caissie came up with a catch in the right-center field gap before colliding with Pete Crow-Armstrong and tripping head-first into the ivy-covered brick wall at Wrigley Field. Caissie will be eligible to return to the Chicago Cubs next Sunday at the earliest.

Caissie is in his second stint with the Chicago Cubs this season after making his MLB debut last month. Caissie came back up to rejoin the major league squad ahead of Saturday’s game, just to get injured in his third inning with the team. Caissie was removed later in the game and replaced by Willi Castro. While Caissie is on the IL, Kevin Alcántara is going to replace him on the active roster. It’s unclear if either Alcantara or Caissie will be on the active roster when Kyle Tucker is healthy enough to come back off his IL stint.

Chicago Cubs Place Owen Caissie In Concussion Protocol

The Chicago Cubs got a very brief look at Caissie in his second stint with the team. Before Saturday afternoon’s 5-4 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago promoted Caissie to the major league squad and started him in right field. In the third inning, Caissie got hurt making a catch in the right-center field gap after colliding with center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and falling into the wall. After sticking around for two more innings, Caissie was removed in the sixth inning. On Sunday, the team placed Caissie on the 7-day injured list and in concussion protocol.

Caissie made the catch on the run, and before he or Pete Crow-Armstrong had time to slow down, the two collided. PCA slid on the warning track trying to avoid a bigger collision, but inadvertently tripped Caissie, who fell into the ivy-covered brick wall in right-center at Wrigley Field. Although Cassie’s right shoulder bore most of the brunt, his head did make contact with the wall and did enough damage to land the 23-year-old outfielder in concussion protocol.

Chicago Cubs Manager Craig Counsell talked about Cassie’s injury after the game, saying, “Owen has concussion symptoms. We’ll just evaluate him moving forward. He just kind of got gradually worse after running into the wall. About 45 minutes later, he couldn’t continue.”

Adjusting To New Outfield Landscape

With Caissie out of the lineup and off the roster for the next week, the Chicago Cubs are turning to Kevin Alcántara. Alcantara had been demoted in favor of Caissie ahead of Saturday’s game, but will be making a quick return to the major league roster. Caissie and Alcantara are trying to fill the void left by Kyle Tucker, who is on the injured list with a left calf injury. The Chicago Cubs are expected to be without Tucker for at least the next three games. Tucker’s absence, combined with Seiya Suzuki being out of the lineup with an illness, could set Alcantara up to see significant playing time this week.

So far this season, Alcantara has one hit and one walk in seven plate appearances across four games. The 23-year-old made his debut late in the season last year, and after having a great 2025 at AAA Iowa, Alcantara is back in the mix for the major league club. With Tucker and Suzuki out for the time being, Alcantara will be sharing right field responsibilities with Willi Castro.

Alcantara could stand to see some time as the DH as well. If Tucker makes his return before next Sunday, Alcantara will likely stay in the majors. If he doesn’t, Caissie is likely to take over for Alcantara in right and on the roster.