Cubs Promoting Moises Ballesteros Over Top Outfield Prospect Could Hurt Them

The Chicago Cubs received some bad news about their leadoff hitter, Ian Happ. He is on the 10-day injured list with an oblique injury. That's a very tricky to come back from.

Pitcher Javier Assad is another player on Chicago with an Oblique injury and he is on the 60-day IL.

With that injury, the Cubs promoted their most exciting prospect, Moises Ballesteros.

The Northsiders are now forced to replace Happ's Gold Glove in left field for at least the next 10 days. Seiya Suzuki is expected to take his place in the outfield, but there were some other options to choose from.

Did the Cubs make the right choice promoting Ballesteros?

Promoting Ballesteros seemed like the easy move. The team does have to add him to the 40-man roster in order for him to make his way to Wrigley Field, but that is not a problem.

Ballesteros, the No. 4 prospect in the organization, is off to a great start in 2025.

He is slashing .368/.420/.522 in 34 games played. The left-handed hitter has slugged four home runs while collecting 18 RBI, scoring 19 runs and striking out just 16 times. He has excellent bat-to-ball skills, and his eye for the zone is elite at the Triple-A level.

His bat is more than ready for big league pitching. However, his primary position of catcher is not a spot that is open right now. Both Miguel Amaya and Carson Kelly are having great years at the plate, so Ballesteros is not taking their spot any time soon.

He can play some first base, but he has only 42 starts at the position in his minor league career. It would be shocking to see him play first base, especially with the left-handed hitting Michael Busch being the everyday player.

With all of that in mind, it would have made sense for the Cubs to promote an outfielder to take Happ's spot for the time being. But, calling up their best hitter at Triple-A is never a bad move.

Who could the Cubs have called up instead?

There are two main players Chicago could have called up instead of Ballesteros.

The first is Kevin Alcantara.

Alcantara is the No. 5 prospect in the organization and he is already on the 40-man roster. With the Iowa Cubs this year, the right-handed batter is slashing .257/.333/.389 with two home runs, 16 RBI and 18 runs scored in 30 games played.

The one downside with him is the swing-and-miss. The Dominican outfielder has struck out 41 times this season.

He was called up last season, but he received just 10 at-bats. He collected one hit, but struck out one time in three games played.

Defensively, Alcantara can play all three outfield positions. He is more of a corner outfielder, which is why he would have been a good choice to replace Happ. It is not Gold Glove defense, but it is good enough to be comfortable with him out there.

The other option is Owen Caissie. Caissie is the No. 3 prospect for the Cubs.

In Triple-A this season, the left-handed hitter has a slash line of .219/.330/.521 with six home runs, two triples and seven doubles. That is 15 of his 21 total hits going for extra bases. He has not hit for average this year, but the power is undeniable.

In 2024, Caissie slashed .278/.375/.472 with 19 home runs, 75 RBI and he walked 71 times in 127 games. He has the ability to hit for average, he has just struggled to show it in 2025. Still, his bat has a lot of potential.

The former second-round pick, like Alcantara, has a strikeout problem. There is a lot of swing-and-miss in his game, but that should not discourage the Cubs from giving him a shot.

Calling up an Outfielder made sense for the Cubs

A big reason why an outfielder would have been smart to call up is Suzuki is not the strongest defender.

In 2024, Suzuki was worth -3 Outs Above Average, which was a big step backwards from his defensive play in 2023. His first season in 2022 was similar to his 2024 season on defense, though. He is better as a DH.

Kyle Tucker, on the other hand, is serviceable in right field. He is never going to leave the lineup, but Chicago does have to plan for the future. Chicago has not extended their big-name trade acquisition and Tucker is already being talked about in trade discussions.

With the possibility of Tucker not being the long-term right fielder, the Cubs could have called up Alcantara or Caissie to see how they do at the Major League level. Understanding if their ready for the bigs, albeit an expected short a sample size, is important for their development and planning for future years to come.

Nonetheless, the Cubs will call up Ballesteros and he should help bolster an offense that is already one of the best in the MLB.